Pooka here. One of the judges for the contest, and editor for the e-book.

10k words is is about 15-20 pages, depending on formatting. I will poke the other people involved in setting it up and see what they say about adjustments (though I make no promises).

As it is intended to be a short story contest, I don't think that we will accept "submissions" in the competitive sense that do not meet the requirements. However, I will ask the organizers about accepting submissions that do not fit the requirements to be included with the final publication - that way we can include our poets, artists, and other creative players in the e-book. Again, I make no promises but I will try to make it happen.

I'll let you know how it goes (or Sterne will) as soon as I have an answer.