Contestants are asked to submit their entries by filling out the form below. entries must comply with the following rules and include the following in their submission.
Contest Entrance Rules and Submission Criteria:
The competition is open to all aquascapers!
Teams are allowed, if you wish to form a team for a single entry, be sure to indicate your teammates on your entry. Note that if a team wins the grand prize, there is only 1 prize, and it is up to the team to determine how the items and winnings are distributed.
We want to see how you aquascape and see samples of your work. Emailed entry submissions must include the following:
4 to 6 high-quality photos of recently completed aquascape(s), ensure at least 1 is a full tank frontal photo, capturing an entire scape
A 30-second video of aquascape
A 30-second video of the aquascaper summarizing their aquascape techniques. Think of answering questions about what the key features of the design are, or why you choose a certain placement.
A photo of and bio of yourself! If you are entering as a team, we need a bio for each team member.
An indication of which event you are applying to complete at; Dallas qualifying round, or Daytona Champions Round
Entries will be evaluated by our internal teams, with 10 entries selected to compete in person in Dallas, 10 entries will be selected to compete in-person in Chicago. The Top 5 from Dallas will qualify for the Daytona Champions Round and the Top 5 from Chicago will qualify for the Daytona Champions Round.
The winning 5 aquascapes in Dallas will be asked to travel to Daytona to compete for the grand prize.
The winning 5 aquascapes in Chicago will be asked to travel to Daytona to compete for the grand prize.
If any of the top 5 from Chicago or Dallas cannot make it to Daytona, Daytona will accept “walk-on” entries from local contestants.
I. Winners from Dallas and Chicago will be required to complete a new aquascape in Daytona’s Champions Round.
Contestants are responsible for their own travel expenses.
Aquashella Aquarium Festival and its assigns hold all rights to submission materials and copyrights transfer upon submission to allow for the festival to promote and evaluate all entries.
DEADLINES FOR SUBMISSION
Dallas Qualifying Round - May 17-18, 2024 - selected contestants will be notified by May 1, 2024
Chicago Qualifying Round - August 2-3, 2024 - selected contestants will be notified by July 1, 2024
Daytona Champions Round - November 1-2, 2024, selected contestants will be notified by September 25th, 2024. Walk-Ons will be accepted Starting October 1, 2024 if applicable.
Submissions will be evaluated by our internal teams for completeness, design, and selection for competition for each round. There is no entry fee to the contest. All final scapes and equipment are property of Aquashella and will be auctioned with net proceeds going to a selected charity or charities.
Selected contestants will be responsible for their own travel to the competition locations.
Additional Rules for Aquascape Designs
Each contestant (including team members) will receive a full conference badge for admission to the exhibit hall floor. Contestants are given a timed 13 hours, over two days to complete their finished designs, aquascaping hours are as follows:
Friday, from 2pm to 6pm
Saturday, from 10am to 5pm
Scaping has been scheduled during show hours to allow attendees to watch the process, and interact with aquascapers as you are assembling your entry. Each team will be issued a timer clock to keep track of their scaping time. Each team will be allotted 13 hours to complete their scape.
Judging will commence after submissions are completed at 5 pm on Saturday, and awards will be placed on each entry for public review at 10 am on Sunday. Ribbons and judges' scorecards will be displayed at the aquariums through the conclusion of the festival on Sunday.
Aquascapers must submit examples of their work to be selected as a contestant.
Aquashella and its sponsors will provide hardscape materials such as rock, driftwood, and substrate as well as live plants to be used to build your aquascapes in the provided aquariums.
These materials will be available on a first-come, first-served basis at the onset of the competition on Friday.
All contestants must complete their aquascapes using the equipment and materials provided by the contest sponsors, substitutions are not allowed.
Contestants may use their own tools, glue and filtration media; however no logos or branding other than that of the contest sponsors may be prominently visible during the contest.
Stands, water, and adequate electricity will be provided at each tank to support the installation.
Contestants are required to use and showcase the provided products in their design and must use the materials provided on-site (36”x18”x18” or 36”x22”x22” tanks, lights, heaters, filters, tools, substrates) as part of their competition scapes.
Specifically:
Contestants must use the tank, light, and equipment provided by the contest sponsors, but may use equipment other than that provided if it is in addition. Substitutions of equipment are not allowed.
Tank backgrounds can be used, at the entrant’s discretion.
Hardscape materials are provided by the competition sponsors.
CO2 is not provided, if you wish to use CO2 on your installation, contestants must bring their own system.
Contestants should also consider bringing micron filters, filtration media, and other equipment necessary to clear tanks after setup.
Fish are allowed, but not required in any entry.
Any fish used in aquascapes should be appropriate for the size tank, display, and health of the animals. Irresponsible husbandry choices in design will result in loss of points during judging and may be forcibly removed if a poor representation of industry best practices.
The following products and equipment will be provided at each festival for contestants to build their aquascapes with/within:
Equipment provided:
(2) Fluval Plant 3.0 LED 46w 36-46in
(1) Fluval M 200Watt Submersible Heater
(1) Fluval Curved Scissors 9.8in
(1) Fluval Spring Scissors 5.9in
(1) Fluval Straight Forceps 10.6in
(1) Fluval Pincha Shovel 12.6in
(1) Fluval Algae Shaver 24.8in
(1) Fluval 407 Canister Filter
(1) Fluval X07 Spray Bar
(2) Fluval Stratum 17.6lb
Hardscape materials provided:
Fluval Stratum 17.6lb
Caribsea Eco Complete 20lb
Caribsea Super Naturals Moonlight Sand 20lb
Caribsea Peace River 20lb
Caribsea Dragon Stone rock (assorted sizes)
Tideline Naturescapes
Tidelline Naturescapes
Tideline Naturescapes
Live plants and mosses, variety (sufficient for everyone to use)
Note * more items may be added
Judging Criteria and Awards
Each entry will be rated by our celebrity judges with score values being assigned by winner order. 3 judges at each competition will evaluate the entries once the allotted aquascaping time has lapsed between 5pm on Saturday (when aquascaping ends) and the presentation of awards at 10am on Sunday.
In the event of a tie; judges will be asked to re-evaluate the tied entries to determine a winner.
Judges scorecards and results will be posted for clarity and public evaluation.
Evaluation Categories
Overall Appearance
Composition
Choice of Materials (plants, materials, animals)
Aquascape Sustainability
Inspirational Design
Category definitions:
Overall Appearance - is this aquascape pleasing? Do all the selected materials and animals work well together? Is the presentation balanced and harmonious?
Composition - is the aquascape laid out well? How is the use of negative space? Has the aquascaper leveraged depth of field in their presentation?
Choice of materials - Has the plants, materials, and animals selected been appropriate for the aquascape presented? Did the aquascaper use the “right” materials for this application?
Aquascape Sustainability - If this aquascape was in a home, is it maintainable? How realistic is this aquascape for a hobbyist? Are the plants/animals selected and displayed appropriate for the installation and represent industry best practices?
Inspirational Design - Does this aquascape inspire others? Is it showcasing the love of aquascaping? Is it challenging others to reach for new ideas and push the limits? How well does this design showcase the love of aquascaping and aquarium design?
Rank Scoring Calculations; each judge will rank their top 5 tanks from top to bottom. Rankings assign points, and points are accumulated to determine the winner. A fourth score is allotted to “Peoples Choice” for which voting will be open for on Saturday by event attendees.
Ranking points system; points are added from all judges scorecards to determine winners, with each category earning up to 20 points. Aquascapers can earn a perfect score of 100 by earning a 20 in each category. The Aquascaper or Aquascaping Team with the highest point total will be the winner.
Planned Awards
The following awards are planned for each contest. Note, awards may be changed, added, or amended depending on the quality of entries, and judges' comments.
$5,000 Grand Prize and Trophy (Qty 1 - awarded only at final round competition in Daytona)
$1,000 Regional Grand Prize and Trophy (Qty 1 at Dallas event, Qty 1 at Chicago event)
3 ‘Best in Scape’ Awards - Ribbon
Honorable Mention - Ribbon
Best use of Depth and Space - Ribbon
Best use of Color- Ribbon
Best use of Plants- Ribbon
Best use of Hardscape Materials - Ribbon
Most Creative- Ribbon