08:48:50 AM ~ still count as 8 AM. Unless they said Before 8AM or final is 8.00 AM.
I've seen a lot of weird things on the internet, but it's the first time I've seen someone argue 8:48 is on time if the deadline is at 8!
8 AM is when the clock shows 8:00:00. That means, at the start of the contest, 8:00:01 (and probably even 8:00:00) qualifies. But at the end of the contest, 7:59:59 (or maybe 8:00:00) is the limit. If they wanted it to run an hour later, they would have said 9 instead of 8.
I know it's a cultural thing, and in some countries it's totally acceptable to be late for a meeting. But where I'm from, if the meeting starts at 8 AM, you're terribly late if you arrive at 8:48.