International Aquatic Plants Layout Contest (IAPLC) 2023 Controversy

[Art]

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So the 2023 version of the International Aquatic Plants Layout Contest (IAPLC) has recently released the rankings and statistics. This year, the largest contest in the world had 1,850 entries from 78 countries. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the United States had over 20 entries with some doing amazingly well.

However, along with the release of absolutely stunning aquascapes from all over the world, you will find a growing chorus of discontent and even chants for a boycott of the contest. This is surprising and, frankly, sad given the origins of this contest (Takashi Amano) and what its done for the global world of aquascaping. There is no question that this contest, and Aqua Design Amano, have been extremely influential in the growth of the hobby, even in the United States.

I will be doing a series of posts trying to showcase and learn from the top works. However, I can't avoid ask you, the ScapeCrunch community, what your thoughts are on the controversy that seems to mostly revolve around the judging and the, at least perceived, notion that Japanese aquascapers are getting favorable treatment.

 

[HardeeParty]

I’ve judged at enough car shows/events to identify three types of judges….

People judging for the clout/power dynamic and like to pull strings.

People judging because they are genuinely experienced/passionate and want to contribute.

People judging because they owe someone a favor and they are struggling to find warm bodies.

I suspect the last isn’t so common in the aquascaping world, but maybe I’m wrong. I don’t really know enough about it to get worked up about though.

 

[Bolbi]

I think the biggest problem with the IAPLC is the preliminary screening evaluation - this is chosen by the ADA (one person?).

In the past, there were oversights where very good works were left out of the top 100 while in the top 100 there were works that did not deserve to be there. This is not the fault of the judges as they evaluate the top 100 selected by the ADA.

I wouldn't go into the competence of the judges... There are certainly good connoisseurs of aquascaping - you can get the clear insight into which work a particular judge rated as his personal favorite.

I still don't believe that this was made intentionally. 1850 works is huge task just to brief look all of them. If you don't take your time and select top 100 carefully this is what happens.

 

[SingAlongWithTsing]

Think my issue is with the judging panel.

3 professional aquascapers (Adam Paszcela, Andre Longarco, and Yusuke Homma )
3.5 corporate
3.5 magazine



Feel like they should have more professional aquascapers on the judging panel. I think that might partly fix the inconsistency in the top 100.

 

[Dennis Wong]

Think my issue is with the judging panel.

3 professional aquascapers (Adam Paszcela, Andre Longarco, and Yusuke Homma )
3.5 corporate
3.5 magazine



Feel like they should have more professional aquascapers on the judging panel. I think that might partly fix the inconsistency in the top 100.

Yep. IAPLC always had questionable judging panel. When Amano was alive he was the final gate keeper for the top few works. Quality immediately fell after his passing. It just took years for more folks to realize it.

 

[plantbrain]

Rather than protest, folks are moving over to the Korean, the Chinese and various other contest.

Why? Because of consistency in those contest events. Why do they have good consistency? Their chosen Judges know what they are doing, period. Why do they know what the are doing? They are doing high level aquascaping and excellent hardscaping.

Overall, most of them sort of suck when it comes to growing the plants, they all use easy stuff.
Some day I hope.

Amano himself was much more playful and interested in trying new plants.

The AGA has been pretty consistent and it's the oldest.
The AGA has single handily revived the Dutch style contest for the international stage.
The prizes are not huge with the AGA. But I have to say, the competition/quality have gone WAY up the last 25 years.
That applies to the Dutch style which is more about them plants, not hardscapes with moss. Each has its different positive aspects.

Do these other contest bother with specific styles?
Nope, they cater to mostly one style with few exceptions.
For me I ask a lot of questions when looking at the contest tanks.

I saw one that was like 277 ranked(I could be wrong with the exact ranking). It was a really nice tank. Better than a couple of the top 10.
It really stood out. I have a pair of large 30" screens, I can zoom in and look at details.
Steven and Juan made some excellent in depth points.

I have no horse in any contest or race. So protest is never gonna happen.
It's a lot of work, you do not get paid, you pay the winners..............for their work.
ADA, the other contest etc.............they do this because they love it and it helps the hobby.

Hard to protest that.
Arm chair scapers or professional scapers..............no one forces them to enter any contest.
Expecting ADA to have the same leadership as when Amano ran it?

It's to be expected. They have a larger relationship with publishers, industry, that's where they are focused now I think. They still have 3 scapers........on the panel. But there's a business aspect to it now rather than the purity of top scapers who know what to look for and who will take the time and due diligence to carefully critique. Perhaps that is where things are headed with ADA? I have no clue.

Many organizations are run this way. A small group does most the work, then everyone complains about it.
Small group ask for help? Sometimes, and few reach out to do so. Most do not. But ADA is a business, not a non profit AGA, or like many of the contest that compete with it. It's their business to do with what they see fit. It promotes their brand.

 

[plantbrain]

View attachment 2836​

So the 2023 version of the International Aquatic Plants Layout Contest (IAPLC) has recently released the rankings and statistics. This year, the largest contest in the world had 1,850 entries from 78 countries. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the United States had over 20 entries with some doing amazingly well.

However, along with the release of absolutely stunning aquascapes from all over the world, you will find a growing chorus of discontent and even chants for a boycott of the contest. This is surprising and, frankly, sad given the origins of this contest (Takashi Amano) and what its done for the global world of aquascaping. There is no question that this contest, and Aqua Design Amano, have been extremely influential in the growth of the hobby, even in the United States.

I will be doing a series of posts trying to showcase and learn from the top works. However, I can't avoid ask you, the ScapeCrunch community, what your thoughts are on the controversy that seems to mostly revolve around the judging and the, at least perceived, notion that Japanese aquascapers are getting favorable treatment.

If local Japanese are getting favorable treatment, so be it, it's a Japanese brand, it's a Japanese business, the panel are mostly industry. I think overall the hobbyist aspect was lost to some degree when Amano passed on. He understood that was the key. He really tried to do that. To me, it seems a shift towards industry, rather than the basal approach to the hobby itself. Perhaps next year the contest will return? Does ADA and the industry listen to what a bunch of Plant hobbyist say and complain about? Not much.

 

[Yugang]

I would be useless as a judge, I couldn't even tell which of both deserves to be ranked #4 and which #62 ...





If anyone interested in my humble opinion, I'd be most proud if the second one was mine (it isn't, and I have a long way to go).

 

[Art]

Judging is a hard task especially with this many entries. Even 100 is hard. Can't imagine 1850.

To continue to cover the postings on Facebook, most notably by Juan Puchades, I have to say I am starting to see what the uproar is about. Like @Dennis Wong said, it must have been there since Amano's passing but only amongst high level aquascapers. Now it's gotten to the mainstream.

Juan made a few posts so far on this topic. His first post highlighting his disappointment with the Top 100 and calling out perceived issues received 93,000 reactions and was shared 300 times. It clearly struck a nerve with people. This is MUCH more than just those who submitted works.

His second and third posts go into explaining his perception and belief of the issues that plague this venerable and largest contest. I think I can summarize his points as follows:

1. The judging panel needs more, if not all, experienced aquascapers that have demonstrated a high level of work and a winning track record.
2. "RIGOR AND ACCURATE Choice of aquariums evaluated with rigor, in the fairest and most accurate way to the criteria of judgment of the contest."
3. TRANSPARENT AND INTERNATIONAL Carried out in a transparent way by international judges.
4. IMPARTIAL no commercial interest.
5. CLEAR AND CONSISTENT message year over year.

So, it's clear that no one outside of ADA knows how the Top 100 are chosen. However, there is much suspicion that business interests are at play. Evidence that Japanese entries have a better chance of making it. Clear indications that criteria for making the Top 100 doesn't square with the judging criteria set out for the contest.

While I completely agree that any contest that asks people from around the world to invest so much time and money should be fair, impartial and consistent in its application of the judging criteria. Transparency is key so that people have trust in the judging. No question. ADA MUST improve with this or risk losing all credibility and, hence, entries.

That being said, we also need to understand that this isn't a hobby for ADA. It's a business and clearly the IAPLC must be viewed as something they are sponsoring to increase their business. ADA must balance the need for fairness with their clear business objectives. I don't think anyone should shame them for that.

Even if you don't know much about the competitive aquascaping world, this is an interesting topic. The output from these contests is the eye candy we all see and drool over. It motivates hobbyists to improve their aquariums. It brings new people into the hobby. This is important.

I'm not sure how ADA fixes this. Would you make a public statement if you were in charge? How would you fix this?

 

[Art]

Wanted to pop in and add a comment by Bruno Carvalho that I think does capture some of my humble opinion.

But for this i will now recall my last conversation with out dear friend Filipe Oliveira, it was the last workshop i attended from him, before he got sick, i was quite upset at them changing the rules to favour nature aquarium, and put down dioramas and the creation of landscape Layouts in the aquarium, because in love doing this style.

He told me this " i can understand people will get upset, but something has to be done, this is getting out of hand, the contest are becoming more about who knows how to glue stone, rocks and make a nice puzzle with them, then who can actually grow plants."

And this really made me think, because it came from the man who is known to be the father of the diorama layout, he made the first tree. The first diorama.
IAPLC needs to decide what it wants to be, a contest for all, or just for the nature aquarium, state it in the rules so everyone is clear on what to expect from the contest.

I completely admit that I am a plant grower, first and foremost. I admire and can appreciate diorama aquascapes with very heavy hardscapes. They are beautiful but are they planted aquariums?

The IAPLC was started to showcase aquatic plants and to represent an idealized version of nature that is the Nature Aquarium concept. Should the IAPLC find its soul again and go back to showcasing aquascapes where the plants are the stars of the show? Or, should it break up into categories in order to have broader participation?

 

[Grobro]

I have a very unpopular opinion on this whole matter.

I find the issue at heart to be the prize money and prestige. Money and power. Always clouds judgement, corrupts, etc. Folks are now forking out countless hours of time, loads of money, equipment, etc, to enter this thing. It is more than a hobby contest now. People are training like its formula 1. We are far off the mark on what it is that brings us all together - love of the hobby. Results be damned.

Ask yourself if the folks unhappy with their rank this year will still complain if they get into the top 100 next year, or more quietly accept the results.

I get their complaints and see what they see, but at the end of the day, its supposed to just be a contest of us hobbyists to view and enjoy each other's work. Congratulate each other and enjoy each other's work. Not compete with each other for money.

The funny thing is, no one loses credit as an expert builder if they don't make it in the top 10. We all see their work and recognize their ability & skill. Their work is all over facebook etc. It's this recognition, prestige, and money that is at the heart of the issue and I think its wrong.

I still watch James Finley's green machine videos. They remind me of a more simple time in the hobby. While he does make comments about how he breaks norms etc that are a bit cringy, in essence, the videos are from a more pure time and space. I like to look at the old Amano books I have. Full of stuff like riccia fluitans that you would never see in a modern layout because its too unruly. Where have we gone here?

I say if you compete in IAPLC, forget the money and rankings. Start with no expectation, by not dumping countless hours and dollars into it as a means to WIN. Create a good concept, use materials that won't break the bank, ENJOY the joy, the pain, and all, without ANY expectation or hope. You will see the contest much differently. The the results won't matter - your peers and friends will enjoy what you've built, you will bring joy, peace, and challenge the thinking of your fellow hobbyists through your work, and that is what matters.