Hey Coffee Magic yes for these contests you are absolutely able to use marketed effects, however when they are marketed like this, they are not real foolers. However he made a nice original ending to it (which looked very nice BTW!) That's why he deserves to win, because of the fooling ending (which I see that you saw later). But for future reference, you may in future contests use published effects, but always make sure to add your own spin to them and really make them your own!
And thanks for the mention Casey, much appreciated (even though it was more obvious than I was hoping it would be!)