The trouble with competition is that it implies leveling. If those who compete are being assigned to levels, some pronounced higher than others, those who do the assigning are also self-assigned to levels, unspecified.

The trouble with artistic gifts is that they are not level in any respect. That is why the highest level of artistry communicates to the general public in a way that is superior in all respects to judgment by adjudicators. Give me the general public any day.

One of the things Glenn Gould did was to blind young players to the power of the general public to get the message. Perfection has its limits. Artistry does not.