We are excited to announce the return of the European Aquatic Plants Layout Contest (EAPLC) for 2025! Below you will find all important dates, participation rules, and updated contest categories.
 

Key Dates

Below you’ll find the full schedule for EAPLC 2025 — from the opening of submissions to the final announcement of results. Please mark your calendar and make sure to meet all deadlines.

EAPLC 2025 timeline

  • Application Period Opens: June 1, 2025
  • Application Deadline: July 31, 2025
  • Judging Phase Begins: August 1, 2025
  • Judging Phase Ends: September 30, 2025
  • Trophy Preparation: October 2025
  • Announcement of Results: November 2025 (exact date to be announced)
  • Trophy Shipping: Together with the announcement of results

We are currently exploring options to host an official award ceremony, possibly in collaboration with upcoming events, trade shows, or industry partners—similar to the memorable event once held at Garnelenhaus.

Categories

In 2025, we are streamlining the contest categories for a more balanced and accessible experience. Based on an in-depth analysis of past entries, the following eight categories have been defined:

eaplc 2025 categories

Aquarium Categories

  • Nano – 0 to 30 Liters
  • Small – 31 to 60 Liters
  • Medium – 61 to 100 Liters
  • Large – 101 to 200 Liters
  • X-Large – 201 to 300 Liters
  • 2X-Large – 301+ Liters

Paludarium & Wabi-Kusa Categories

  • Small  – 0 to 10 Liters
  • Large – 10+ Liters

Due to overlapping characteristics and frequent confusion between Wabi-Kusa and Paludarium submissions, we have merged them into a unified category. The division is now based solely on the container size.

 

Rules – EAPLC 2025

To ensure a fair and inspiring contest for all participants, please read the following rules carefully before submitting your layout.

1. Eligibility

  • The contest is open to all aquascapers residing in Europe.
  • Participation is free of charge.
  • Each participant may submit one layout per category.
  • In case of multiple entries in the same category, only the last submitted entry will be considered valid.

2. Entry Requirements

  • Submitted layouts must be created by the participant.
  • The layout can be submitted to other contests.
  • The aquarium must be a planted tank or botanical layout, including live aquatic plants or Wabi-Kusa/Palu elements.
  • Online submission requires creating a user profile on the EAPLC website.

3. Photo Submission

  • Each participant must submit one full-frontal layout photo, which will be used for judging.
  • Participants may upload additional images to enhance the viewing experience for the public gallery and historical results.
  • Photo editing is only permitted for basic color correction and cropping/straightening.
  • Any composite, overly edited, or AI-generated images will result in disqualification.
  • Submitted images must:
    • Be in the highest resolution possible
    • Have a minimum resolution of 1920×1080 pixels
    • Be under 25MB
    • Be in JPG, JPEG, PNG, or WEBP file format
  • The aquarium must be fully filled with water, or the image must be cropped down to the water line (excluding Wabi/Palu entries).
  • No watermarks, logos, or digitally added elements are allowed.

4. Judging Criteria

  • Entries will be judged based on:
    • Composition & Layout
    • Plant Health & Maintenance
    • Creativity & Originality
    • Photographic Presentation
  • A panel of experienced aquascaping judges from around the world will evaluate the entries.
  • Read more about Juding Criteria

5. Rights & Publication

  • By entering the contest, participants grant the organizer a non-exclusive, free-of-cost right to:
    • Publish submitted works online, in print, and on social media
    • Include entries in future EAPLC promotional materials
    • Feature entries in hobbyist magazines
  • The organizer reserves the right to verify participant identity and disqualify any entries that do not comply with contest rules.

ADA authorized contest

6. IAPLC Compliance

  • The International Aquatic Plants Layout Contest (IAPLC) requires that submitted works must not have been published prior to their own deadline.
  • EAPLC is officially recognized as an ADA-Authorized Local Contest.
  • This means participants are officially allowed to submit the same layout to both EAPLC and IAPLC in the same year, as long as both contests’ respective rules and deadlines are followed.
  • For more information, please refer to the official IAPLC guidelines: http://en.iaplc.com/about/application.html