If you just read all of the Contest Brief (scroll down and read all of it!) and look at the link, it would really help.
1. When I say no abstraction for the ATE, I mean the letters can't overlap to the point where they no longer look like ATE. I've received a lot of designs which look like AE instead of ATE
2. Think elegant and graceful, think classic, think clean yet creative.
3. A lot of entries look too much like what I already have, and no I won't accept those.
There are over 37 entries which are what we are looking for so someone is understanding it. Also 2 days ago, the entire Contest Brief was re-written because the clients said they did not like the bold thick type, so maybe you haven't read the latest one.