Hi all (and a Happy New Year)!
Some of you may have noticed that the contest results for the AGA IAC 2024 have been published!
I believe this is the last awaited contest result of 2024. A link to the full results can be found here: Home - AGAIAC
AGA, unlike some of the other global contests, has separate categories based on tank size. They also offer a contest for biotope enthusiasts or even wabi-kusa layouts. For the purposes of this post, I will focus on the categories within the ‘Aquatic Garden’ (aka Nature Aquarium) category.
The winning works under each category is as follows:
Less than 28L
28-54L
55-79L
80-161L
162-219L
220-319L
Greater than 320L
Overall, my first impressions are there are some high-level works this year (although many we have already seen through entries to other global contests and very few ‘new’ layouts made specifically for the AGA). This is a slight shame as it would have been nice to see a new ‘wave’ of aquascapes being created specifically for this contest.
The nano/tank categories however does open the door for more high quality works to be showcased in the top ranks (as typically the other international contests favour the larger tanks).
Rounding off 2024, I can say that my personal favourite of this year is ‘Rolling River’ by Ismael Aguilar.
This ranked #2 in the largest tank size category in AGA. For me, this perfectly captures the essence of Nature Aquarium by creating an ‘underwater’ feeling. If this photo was taken in a stream in the wild, I wouldn’t have second-guessed it! I believe this is one of those rare layouts that might also fool the fish into thinking their part of a natural habitat!
Big congrats to all entrants and I hope to see more UKAPS members enter in 2025! Excited to hear members thoughts on the works and your favourite aquascape of 2024!
Cheers,
Tom
Some of you may have noticed that the contest results for the AGA IAC 2024 have been published!
I believe this is the last awaited contest result of 2024. A link to the full results can be found here: Home - AGAIAC
AGA, unlike some of the other global contests, has separate categories based on tank size. They also offer a contest for biotope enthusiasts or even wabi-kusa layouts. For the purposes of this post, I will focus on the categories within the ‘Aquatic Garden’ (aka Nature Aquarium) category.
The winning works under each category is as follows:
Less than 28L
28-54L
55-79L
80-161L
162-219L
220-319L
Greater than 320L
Overall, my first impressions are there are some high-level works this year (although many we have already seen through entries to other global contests and very few ‘new’ layouts made specifically for the AGA). This is a slight shame as it would have been nice to see a new ‘wave’ of aquascapes being created specifically for this contest.
The nano/tank categories however does open the door for more high quality works to be showcased in the top ranks (as typically the other international contests favour the larger tanks).
Rounding off 2024, I can say that my personal favourite of this year is ‘Rolling River’ by Ismael Aguilar.
This ranked #2 in the largest tank size category in AGA. For me, this perfectly captures the essence of Nature Aquarium by creating an ‘underwater’ feeling. If this photo was taken in a stream in the wild, I wouldn’t have second-guessed it! I believe this is one of those rare layouts that might also fool the fish into thinking their part of a natural habitat!
Big congrats to all entrants and I hope to see more UKAPS members enter in 2025! Excited to hear members thoughts on the works and your favourite aquascape of 2024!
Cheers,
Tom
