ok, I am now ready to comment.
to some extent i agree with jim,the Comhaltas competitions which are mainly aimed at chidren are a double edged sword, they do some good, but they also do some harm, they[through the marking system]encourage a standardisation of the music and an over emphasis on ornamentation, they also encourage a competitive attitude amongst musicians, giving some musicians[mistakenly] an attitude that they are better than others.
the singing competition at Saltburn festival is however a bit different from the comhaltas comnpetitions, it is aimed exclusively at adults,   
most adults are mature enough to realise that it is a lottery that there may be a few performers who are equally good and that the final decision, could be down to luck or any other subjective whim of the judge.
if the competitors treat it as a mini concert, and dont take the result take too seriously, it just becomes a different way of presenting a concert for performers who would not otherwise have had the opportunity to perform in a formal situation, that can be a useful experience.
the comhaltas singing competitions are riddled with absurd rules[ no songs that are translations from the English language, no songs in harmony, ETC ETC