The American Shrimp Contest
USA Breeder Showcase

The American Shrimp Contest will take place as a part of the Aquashella Aquarium Festival. This event will be held at the The American Shrimp Contest USA Breeder Showcase

The next American Shrimp Contest will take place as part of the Aquashella Aquarium Festival at New Jersey, September 12th and 13th, 2026. This event will be held at:

AQUASHELLA NEW JERSEY – NEW JERSEY CONVENTION CENTER
97 Sunfield Ave, Edison, NJ 08837

Following the New Jersey contest, we will also hold the American Shrimp Contest at Aquashella Aquarium Festival Chicago, September 26th and 27thh, 2026. This event will be held at:

AQUASHELLA CHICAGO – SCHAUMBURG CONVENTION CENTER
1551 Thoreau Drive N, Schaumburg, IL 60173

The idea behind this contest is to give an opportunity for USA shrimp breeders to claim the title of best in the USA without competition from more advanced breeders throughout the world. The format is simple and will continue to grow as the number of breeders in the USA increases.

Contest Categories for Entry:

• Category 1: Neocaridina – All Types – All colors (Example: Red Cherry, Orange Rilli, Blue Dream, ect.)
• Category 2: Caridina Crystal – All colors & grades (Example: Crystal Red Shrimp, Super Black Crystal Shrimp, Pure Red Line, ect.)
• Category 3: Caridina Taiwan Bee – All colors & grades (Example: Blue Bolt, Red King Kong, Black Panda Shrimp, ect.)
• Category 4: Caridina Tiger Variants – All colors & patterns including Wild-Type (Example: Orange Eye Blue Tiger Shrimp, Red Tigers, Black Tiger Orange Eye, ect.)
• Category 5: Caridina Crossbreeds (Normal Eyes) – All colors & patterns (Example: Fancy Tigers, Galaxy Pintos, Ect.)
• Category 6: Caridina Crossbreeds- All colors & patterns [ Eye Morphs ] (Example: Orange Eye Yellow King Kong, Hallow Eye Red Ghost, Orange Eye Red Devil, ect.)

Registration, Fees, Acceptance and Deadlines:

All United States shrimp hobbyist are eligible to participate with their own home bred shrimp groups, that match with the listed categories above. By completing registration, the participant affirms that the shrimp they show are shrimp that they have bred and raised themselves. In the case of reasonable doubt, the participant in question is disqualified. In this case, the registration fees are not refunded.

Entry Fee: $5.00 for each group entry, if you enter 6 or more entries; you receive a free ticket to the event (we will distribute tickets at the door/registration, they are not emailed to you).
The entry fee is paid upon registration. Each participant may enter a maximum of 2 sets of shrimp per category. There is a maximum of 1 ticket per verified name, and it is nontransferable. The registration list of participants is only made available to the organizing committee. 

Shrimp Group Requirements:

One group must consist of 3 to 5 shrimp. If there are more than 3 shrimp in a group, the best 3 shrimp are judged. If more than 5 shrimp are provided, this will result in disqualification. A minimum size of 3/4 of an inch for the shrimp is required. No wild-type shrimp are allowed to be entered. Shrimp with a visible parasite infestation results in the entire group being disqualified; this will be determined by the Lead Judge. If berried shrimp are entered that release their offspring during the contest, the participant is responsible for catching them after the contest is over.

Deadline:

Registration entry must be completed by September 10th, 2026 for New Jersey and September 24th, 2026 for Chicago using the entry form below, unless otherwise indicated. A maximum of 50 show tanks are made available for this contest. Entries are accepted in the order they arrive. Although the registration period ends on the dates above, registration may be terminated ahead of this date if the maximum number of show group entries is reached earlier.

Shrimp Pickup:

Any shrimps that are not collected will automatically become the property of the organizing committee. No reimbursement of the entry fee is possible. For organizational reasons, it is not possible to send the shrimps back to their owners by mail(you may arrange for someone to do this for you). Groups can be donated if pickup isn’t possible. Shrimp groups that are not to be donated must be collected in person on Sunday, beginning at 5 p.m., no sooner, and must be picked up no later than 6 p.m. Any person you select may also collect the shrimps upon production of your authorization, plus a copy of the selected individual’s photo ID, if necessary.

Shipping Contest Shrimp:

We hope that all our contestants will join us for the show, as there is so much more going on than our contest. This might not be possible for everyone, so we will accept shipped shrimp as well. Contestants must ensure adequate and proper packaging of shrimps, with each show group entry packed separately in transport bags. The transport bag must be marked with the following details: category, genus, and, if applicable, the variant. Please ensure these details are legible and applied with a waterproof marker. Do not include any name information written on the transport bags. Write your name and address only on the package exterior or include a letter with your name and address inside your package.

Shipments of New Jersey contest entries will be accepted at the following address between Wednesday, September 9th, 2026 and Friday, September 11th, 2026 (NO EARLY or LATE SHIPMENTS ALLOWED):
New Jersey Convention Center, 97 Sunfield Ave, Edison NJ 08837
ATTN Grant Eder / Aquashella Shrimp Contest

Shipments of Chicago contest entries will be accepted at the following address between Thursday, September 24th, 2026 and Friday, September 25th, 2026 (NO EARLY or LATE SHIPMENTS ALLOWED):
Schaumburg Convention Center, 1551 Thoreau Dr N
ATTN Grant Eder / Aquashella Shrimp Contest

Verification is done with each registered group to ensure that the shrimp groups belong to the relevant group. Should problems such as missing or incorrect labeling arise and no correct allocation is possible, the shrimps will be displayed in separate tanks outsidethe contest floor and will not be judged. Deliveries handed to team members in person must be made between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm on Thursday or Friday. We cannot guarantee that deliveries or entries received after this deadline will be judged and may be placed in separate tanks outside of the contest floor. 

Should you wish to deliver your show group entry in person, please make sure the transport bag is handed to one of the organizing members ONLY.

Show Tank Specification and Tagging:

• The water parameters will be maintained within acceptable limits for the different categories.
• Substrate: A suitable substrate will be used for every category.
• Lighting: Individual/or strip light integrated into the cover or mounted above the cover panel.
• Filter: Air Driven sponge filter or motor filter.     
• Water Quality: RO water will be used with a shrimp specific remineralizer.
• The tanks will be numbered/tagged consecutively. Following judging, each tank will be labeled with the category, the breeder’s name and the number of points awarded for the placement.

Judges, Procedure and Entry Groups:

• The Judges are appointed by the organizing committee and are not permitted to enter shrimp groups into the contest. This rule also extends to their family members.
• A show group consists of 3 to 5 shrimps to allow for an assessment of the standard of breeding accomplished. The best three invertebrates in a show group are compared with each other by the judges with the help of a points system. 
• The assessment guidelines and allocation of points take the characteristics of the 6 different groups into account.       
• Each category will be assessed by three judges. Each of the three judges will award their own points. The points are then added together and divided by three.
• Once the points have been awarded, if there is a tie (in the first three places) in one category, the Lead Judge will determine the order of the places with the same total points.
• On Sunday, the winners of the different categories will be announced in the exhibition area. The overall winner of the contest will also be announced, and a monetary prize of $100 will be awarded.

Photos:

Official photographs may be taken of the show groups. The organizers will hold the copyright to these photos, which will be made available for publishing in magazines, etc. Visitors may take photos of all the invertebrates on display. No manipulation with fingers, sticks, or similar objects is permitted in the tanks. Only the official photographers appointed by the organizing committee may be permitted some careful manipulation by means of clean wooden skewers. The team members are obligated to prevent any manipulation by visitors.

Exclusion of Liability:

Best Aquarium Events (dba Aquashella Aquarium Festival), the hosting convention center, contest sponsors, the organizing committee, and team members are not responsible for any losses, illness, or failure of shrimp during transportation or during the exhibition period.

A complete list of losses will be tracked each day and can be presented if requested.

Entry Fee

• $5 per entry
• If 6 entries or more ($30 total paid contest entry); then entrant also receives a Saturday, and Sunday Daily Aquashella Event pass to enjoy the event during open hours
  • Entries do not grant event access, event access must be purchased separately unless minimum entry criteria is met – note during checkout, the discount is applied at the final purchase summary page before you hit “Ok, charge me that amount”, so trust the system, and push through!

Entry fees are non-refundable once accepted. Entries are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Once capacity is reached, registration will close.

Instructions for Contestants:

• Upon arrival, contestants will need to check in at the Will Call Counter to receive their show pass in order to access the show floor. 
• Shrimp contest tanks must be ready by 5pm Friday. 
• Winners will be announced on Sunday at 2pm and prizes distributed. 
• Please plan accordingly.

If you have any questions or need the shrimp shipped back to you, please email Grant and Shelby thegardenofeder@gmail.com

Submit your Entry for the New Jersey and Chicago 2026 American Shrimp Contest at Aquashella.
Select your category from the list of types below.