Barbara - it might not have been as deeply sin-inducing as you initially remember it. In something like that you have high hopes & adrenalin - then if it doesn't match up to your hopes you're bound to hit a low & have a pretty jaundiced view of the whole thing. Eurchhh - just the thought is scarey - I don't think I'd have the confidence to even enter a competition. And well done for the placing you did get! I DARE you to go in for another, just to check whether its the same - in the interests of scientific enquiry.....
I get a similarly jaundiced view of the local open-mic thingy whenever I'm having a crisis of confidence (often). When I'm not happy with how I'm singing I project all manner of badness onto everyone else. This is a stress & dissatisfaction reaction, so it might be analogous to what you were feeling at the competition. Mark was getting really fed up with me going home with tales of how so-and-so was really waspish that night - how so-and-so-else really fancied themselves but they're crap really - etc etc etc. As soon as I had a good-voice night all of those perceptions disappeared & suddenly I love everyone again & only see the best in them. I'm NOT implying that you had a bad-voice day - just suggesting that the way you were feeling may have coloured how you interpreted people's actions Its interesting though that competition appeared to bring out the worst. I'm relishing the thought of a venue full of Mr Hyde musicians!