Competitiveness of Quest for Excellence Awards?

I’m basically done with my application and I’m just doing some finishing touches on my essays. I really like my main essays but my Quest for Excellence ones aren’t as good. I’m applying for the humanities quest for excellence award and the USA one.

I know the USA one will obviously be competitive (1 applicant selected per state) but are the STEM and humanities just as competitive? Is selection based solely on your essay?