Jeff,
A little explanation is required I think. The idea was to open the contest to the widest range of users. Podium is aimed at people who don't want to spend ages learning the intricacies and jargon of a high end renderer. I guess it follows the 80% rule.
Many people want to use 3d as a proper design tool, and get reasonable images so that when you discuss things with clients, you get to talk about design, because you can show clients what it is that your concept means.
So, the software tries to make the most likely assumptions about most things and lets people concentrate on the design.
We are finding that lots of accomplished people used to other higher end apps are moving to Podium because it is really easy.
So, the contest tries to find a way to get these people with different abilities to compete on a level playing field. The people that can really model well should be able to take the primitives, distort, duplicate and combine them to make some quite complex objects. The people who texture well can keep the geometry simple and do most things with the idea, mood, camera positions and textures. Novice users who recognise their limitations can think of a really cool, simple scene and try to capture a mood. Guys like you of course, can do all these things 
The limitations force people to think carefully about what they want to achieve. Sure you might get some crap, but arguably that's just like life, and better to get genuine, carefully considered crap that people have made after thinking about it in detail, than crap that people have assembled using free models from wherever.
Podium is about using simplicity to bring out people's creativity - and so is the contest.
Come on, the contest is designed to encourage evaluation version users, why don't you enter and show people how it is done, and that you don't need fancy tools, just a strong idea and a good eye!
