Is it Just Me, or does ESRI's ArcGIS Server Mashup Challenge Feel Like a Rigged Scam?

For some reason or another, I was toying with the idea of going to the ESRI Developer Summit this year.

Unfortunately, after looking at the agenda it looked less like what I would consider a developer summit and more like an indoctrination into more ESRI tools.

Wish they had a track that was for those that wish to leave ESRI on the edge of their geospatial world; leveraging the ArcGIS Server API's where they are useful, and writing the majority of their code against more open platforms.

Speaking of that, I've been having a lot of fun working with some of ESRI's demo ArcGIS Server API's, and have a pretty sweet mashup I hope to have launched by the time of the ESRI Federal User conference in mid February.

As I was stumbling around the Developer Conference today, I came across an advertisement for the Mashup Challenge (linked in the picture above).

1st Place: $7,000
2nd Place: $3,000

Nice, I could set up a sweet OSGeo Rig with $7k.....

But, looks like I'm not eligible:

3. Eligibility: This Contest is open to all developers who are the legal age of majority in
their country of residency, including Sponsor’s business partners, so long as
applicant/applicant's organization is a licensed user of ArcGIS Server 9.2, ArcGIS
Server 9.3 or a current ESRI Developer Network (EDN) subscriber prior to the
Contest Period, except for those developers who are residents of Burma, Cuba,
Iran, Libya, Malaysia, North Korea, Sudan, Syria, Province of Quebec, and where
prohibited by national, state, provincial, or any other governmental laws or
regulations.

My org isn't a licensed user of ArcGIS server, and we're not in the EDN...bummer.

What would I need to spend to be in the running to win that $7k???

Also, looks like ESRI will own the code that I or anyone else would submit, and use it for whatever purposes they sit fit....like a demo to sell more ESRI licenses....

BY SUBMITTING THE CODE SAMPLE, THE APPLICANT REPRESENTS AND
WARRANTS THAT HE/SHE HAS ALL RIGHT, TITLE AND INTEREST NECESSARY TO
GRANT THE SPONSOR THE WORLDWIDE, IRREVOCABLE AND UNRESTRICTED
RIGHT AND LICENSE TO ADAPT, PUBLISH, USE, EDIT, AND/OR MODIFY SUCH
CODE SAMPLE IN ANY WAY AND POST THE ORIGINAL CODE SAMPLE ON THE
INTERNET OR USE THE ORIGINAL CODE SAMPLE IN ANY OTHER WAY AND
AGREES TO INDEMNIFY AND HOLD SPONSOR HARMLESS FROM ANY CLAIMS TO
THE CONTRARY.

No thanks. - that's a lot to ask for for the CHANCE to win $7k.