Squirrels

Photography should be about creativity by 'the human eye' not about the gear used. There are many international known artist/photographers that work with a point and shoot or so called compact camera. Having a high end gear does not makes a photo great photography. There are many great compact cameras out there with which one can create great shots. Check challenges where they call for the use of high gear, the picks are not as great as those found on a challenge that puts not restrictions on gear used.
And sorry to disagree ( with whom?) but host should abide and honor its own rules, otherwise a feeling of unfairness, favoritism and mistrust sets on those who enter the challenge and those who took good care and time-consuming on voting. It does not help to set trust on future challenges lead by that host either.