Fifty beers....if that is what it takes to win the Ninkasi, that is running the tables, and that favors the richest and most prolific brewers among us. I would rather each brewer enter their best beer (one entry), but since most of us enter for feedback (rather than believing that we can actually win in such an environment) that would punish the moderate hobbyist for the excesses of the win at all cost set. Perhaps we need to institute limits. Enter as much as you like, but only the average of your 5 best entries count towards the Ninkasi, or better yet, have each brewer wishing to enter 5 beers for the Ninkasi have to choose their best 5 (if they entered more than 5) for consideration. They would have to know which 5 to choose.
Rewarding the person who enters 50 beers (albeit good beers to have enough to place that highly) seems like a rather silly award. Again, I always hate to see a competition dominated by just a few participants as I often see in brewing comps. If you are that good, it is time to give up your eligibility and get on the pro circuit.