Are amateur and beginner submissons judged right along with those from advanced and professional aquascapers?

Yes, we don’t try to decide who is advanced, novice, etc. Each submission is judged on it’s own merits.

Why are entries without plants allowed in the biotope class?

There is no requirement that the Biotope Aquascape contain plants. If the aquascaper is attempting to emulate a biotope with little or no plants, such as the rocky floor of Lake Malawi, then this is perfectly acceptable. But take not that in this case, the choice and placement of rocks will matter quite a bit to the judges! For more details on biotope aquariums, please see our guidelines page for more information.

Why are marine tanks not eligible to be entered?

This event was organized by a group of aquatic gardeners, whose main interest (and expertise) is planted freshwater aquaria. The inclusion of general saltwater tanks goes beyond our areas of expertise, so we have chosen not to include marine aquaria.

We have, however, widened the eligibility rules of the Biotope category to include multiple types of freshwater, brackish and some marine environments.

What’s the difference between Wabi Kusa, Paludarium and Riparium?

We have a document summarizing how we define each of these categories.

What are the awards?

Cash and a customized printed award for first, second, and third place in each category, plus best of show and most innovative. Cash awards will be made via PayPal, to the e-mail address registered for the aquascaper.

The Aquatic Gardener classes highlight the Top Ten, and the specialty categories highlight the Top Five entries. These designations are in notation only, and do not include a physical or cash award.

What happened to the ribbons?

Worldwide postage has gone up astronomically over the past few years, while delivery reliability has plummeted. Between these two factors, it has ended up costing too much money and time to mail and re-mail ribbons, many of which have gotten lost or returned by customs.

Why is that aquascape disqualified?

Our guidelines have stated, even as far back as the year 2000, that photographs may only be altered for sharpness, level and color corrections. Yet a select few aquascapers have chosen to break these rules by further altering the images. Disqualifying techniques include (but are not limited to) compositing multiple images to enlarge or improve the appearance of a school of fish, cloning background elements to cover imperfections in the aquascape, and addition of elements from a completely different image. Further details on the 2020 disqualification sweep are addressed in this letter from the organizing committee.