International Aquatic Plants Layout Contest

IAPLC is an official window into competitive planted-aquarium design. Aqua Design Amano runs the annual international contest and publishes application requirements, judging criteria, rankings and selected works. The galleries show how entrants control visual flow, scale, plant mass, hardscape, open space and the relationship between fish and layout. Looking across years is more instructive than copying one winner: recurring approaches become visible, while very different compositions demonstrate that there is no single golden-ratio formula for a successful tank.

A contest photograph compresses months of cultivation into one carefully prepared frame. It does not show the full maintenance load, off-camera equipment, failed iterations or how long the display remains in that state. Judging is artistic and rule-bound, so rank is not a general measure of animal welfare or everyday practicality. Submission restrictions, including originality and publication timing, matter to prospective entrants. Use IAPLC as a visual archive and a way to study deliberate choices, not as evidence that a dramatic competition layout is suitable for every home routine.