Grand Challenge Citizenship Issue.

I was reading the latest rules for the Grand Challenge and found out that only US citizens can be team leaders. The problem I have with this is that it excludes U.S. permanent residents from being team leaders. Not only do they pay taxes and live here, it is also apparent if you know the issues with the INS that it is sometimes beyond their control that they are not citizens as early as the law allows them to be. The law says that once you are a permanent resident, it takes 5 years before you can ask for naturalization. Right now the situation is a little bit better for people who start the process today but three years ago it was a mess. Between the time you submitted your application for a green card and getting it, it would take between two to three years to get it (check the current I-485 waiting list here.) And then you wait the five years required by law and then you have to wait between 6 or seven months to have your application Ok'ed (look up N-400 waiting list.) This is a long time given the fact that most people have lived in the country for years before even being allowed to start this process. ITAR restrictions for instance recognize the fact that if you submitted an application to being a permanent resident, you could be considered a U.S. citizen for all itents and purposes because in effect, you have made the choice to live in this country and be a full part of the economy. The rules of the grand challenge specify that no classified information should be used during the contest. So if the challenge organizers feel that no secret/senstive technology is really being transferred why would they exclude 10% of the population that is legally here and has demonstrated against the odds of a particularly inefficient branch of the government, their choice of staying here. I don't get it....