That is a sad truth. Equally good, and correct-to-style beers, will be pushed aside for the one that is over the top.
Sometimes, but not always by any means
That is my experience. The beers we medaled with this year were right down the middle of the road. In fact, I did not care for my Munich Helles, but my friend insisted that it be entered. Glad I listened to him!
The problem with most competitions is that they struggle to find enough ranked judges, which results in large flights and fatigue. That is one of the reasons I stopped judging. My tastebuds were often blown out by the end of a flight.
Last time each of our beers had one BJCP certified judge, and one trained novice. They are already asking for volunteers for next February.
Having a drink of RO water (between tastes) will cleanse the palate, making for a better experience when switching from beer to beer.
Trust me, that approach does not work on a flight of 14+ IPAs and DIPAs, nothing works.