^^^ As a picture is worth a thousand words, sitting behind a judges table helps. Appearance is tough, both as a judge and as a competitor. I suggest that you fill the box as much as possible/reasonable. Mix in pieces with bark and those without. A nice smoke ring should be visible. The bark shouldn't be too dark, but flavorful. NO fat. Moisture should be there. To do this (keep the pieces moist), pull them to the size about the size of your thumb, give or take. Dont shred. Think of it from a judges perspective; how can you tell how moist or tender it is if it's shredded? Largely, they cant. Larger pieces (bite sized pieces) do better. They're able to squeeze them to help test for tenderness and moisture. Taste of course is much more subjective and can be VERY regional and to some degree differ from one contest to another based upon the judges pool. By this I mean that some contests it's expected to have it sauced, others the judges seem to expect sauce on the side, others still no sauce whatsoever. If you have sauce, it should compliment the flavors of the meat and rub, and NOT smother/cover it. This is what's meant when we say "it's not a sauce contest". Bland will get you killed. Dry will get you killed. Flavors that aren't balanced will usually get you varied scores (one person likes it, the next doesnt). Play to the center. Try hard not to alienate/offend a judge. While one judge may like something really spicy, the next two judges wont. So, too spicy will get you killed just as quickly as bland. Most tend to taste better as hot as possible. Keep this in mind when pulling the pork and when packing your box Try to bring the box and/or garnish up to room temperate so as not to be cooling the meat when it's in there. Meat in there as hot as possible (hopefully it's burning your fingers when you put it in). Choose a balance of pieces, those with bark and those without, and NO FAT on them. Arrange them quickly, and look at pics on this site for those you think look appetizing (arrangements) and those that aren't as appetizing for ideas of what to do, and what NOT to do. If you do something like slice a money muscle, make certain you have at least 6 perfect pieces. Also, remember, if it's meat and in the box, it's assumed that you intended it to be eaten. There is no such a thing as a "meat garnish or filler".