Initially I too felt there was something wrong with my suggested names being registered (one within hours) and one I really wanted to own but was waiting for CH feedback… But once SH assured me it’s against their policy I knew it had to be coincidence that the names went. I think domaining is catching on as a serious hobby and good quality domains are getting scarce very quickly. Also what would stop a CH from mentioning a really cool name that they liked but don’t need to someone else?? Protection of reusable and valuable ideas falls in our lap not the platform. My suggestion is to register the name and then submit as basic or basic plus entries because if not the CH someone surely will buy the domain soon enough. Getting really valuable names are sometimes just being at the right place at the right time through research and gut instinct. You believe in a name then don’t look at the 10-12 dollars… Just get it and build up a good solid portfolio overtime. One of the things I do is keep discarding low quality names for better ones and that’s how you overcome the learning curve IMHO. 
@Kamable yes I too recently suggested this to them. Instead of rejecting our price they just need to give their objective price so the ball is in our court. It also saves this roundabout dance of request for review by trying to guess why a solid good name got rejected.
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Ok this is another way a domain could go (and most probably does most of the times) and we all need to keep it very clearly in mind. I didn’t edit my previous post and add this to single out this point’s importance. ANY creative who is also participating in a contest would try out the words and different combos of the CH provided keywords. If they see a combo they like and it’s already submitted in the contest (when they try to submit the same idea) then they know it’s a good one. The wider the range of the name (like two short words) they will be inclined to register it. It’s just business sense. Great minds think alike and I think we should all accept this and protect our ideas (if they are obviously valuable) instead of pointing fingers at SH lol. Once I realised this i started weighing my options carefully and then submit … Especially if the keywords are clearly mentioned by the CH and the available domain name is very likely to be checked by other smart creatives. 
Woah! 100000 creatives @grant? That’s amazing!
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I am sorry but I don’t think this is good business sense. I think it is bordering on unethical. Are you saying if a name you enter into a contest has already been submitted you will consider registering it ??? 
maybe I am misunderstanding what you are saying.
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Yes that’s what I said. The idea struck you too. It’s not exclusively the person who submitted first’s anymore. It is not unethical to register your own idea, right?? I know it might sound unethical but remember we are thousands of people with overlapping creativity. Personally I have not done this but it has happened to me and I see how it can happen. There was this one two word domain name which I had submitted a couple of months ago to a contest (in my first weeks here) and I really loved it. It left my mind for a bit (I had thought I would register it if the CH didn’t like it but forgot)… three weeks later it was registered by a creative and for sale on SH. I was initially upset but then when I saw how it could have happened I felt it was fair enough that someone else also thought of the same idea as me. It was my responsibility to register my idea if I really believed in it. A domain name is a property, an idea is just a possibility. Note: I hope many don’t jump on me before they think this through the way I did. It’s a tough competition out there and no one knows it better than a business person. Competition is what real entrepreneurs thrive on IMHO.
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I think the problem is a lot of creatives aren’t able to register all their good names. $10-12 may not seem like a lot, but considering many are putting in dozens of hrs of work on the off chance of a $90 win…registering a name because you see it has been thought of by several other creatives may be good business sense, but if many people do that on a routine basis, it will be detrimental to the platform, imo. As an established domainer, I understand you have a different perspective.
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Thanks Daisy. Yes that’s totally true. We can’t register all the ones we like but the obviously premium ones we need to if we want to make them truly ours and not be assailed with doubts. Believe me I have seen thousands of beautiful names pass me by over the past 20 years which I knew were available but just couldn’t buy for one reason or another. The rule of thumb for me now is to objectively check if I would happily shell out the money I am asking for if I needed a domain like it and to truly assess it as development worthy as compared to other similar ones available. Also in case of some keywords by experience we know that good combinations are very very rare to be found available and that we should not put off securing them. Knowing which names are investment grade is key.
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maybe I am misunderstanding what you are saying.