We tend to bend that rule a little when we have very few entries. The rule is there to help us pick winners as we are not all in the same time zone, so we can't always vote at the same time to pick a winner. When there are late entries, we might consider them as well since more entries are always better.
It’s better not to have rules, as breaking them can discourage regular members like me, which isn’t good. When I first joined Hive, the team led by @qurator provided me with excellent support, and I have always held great respect and gratitude for the entire team.
We will take this into consideration, but we always try to include as many entries as possible even if they are a little late. We will adjust rules to make sure what is expected of entries. Apologies for any inconvenience we might have caused.