I haven't seen the issue as a huge problem so far. Most of the contests I've read about, separate the mediums by stating Photography only or Paintings only.
I actually have more of an issue with the rules that say, "Any medium", when in actuality, they mean any form of painting (I'm guessing) such as watercolor, oil, acrylic, etc. I take the phrase, "any medium" as any form of art, such as painting, film, digital, sculpture, etc. Later I find my images have been removed from the contest. If there's a potential problem of "definition" misconception or confusion, I wish the instructions would be more specific... For instance: "Any painting medium allowed", or "all art forms allowed".
I tend to agree with your intent however in the fact that generally, the mediums/media should be separate.
Have you expressed this opinion to the host(s) of the contest(s)? If so, what response if any were did you receive?
My contention has always been that any correspondence (rules/instructions) be as brief as possible but also very concise, to eliminate confusion. Some have so much to read, you forget what the rules are by the time you reach the end of it.
