EAPLC 2026 β Official Results & European Aquascaping Champion Revealed!
The wait is over! The official results of the European Aquatic Plants Layout Contest 2026 are here!
After weeks of careful evaluation by our international jury, we are proud to announce the winners of EAPLC 2026, including the very first European Aquascaping Champion!
This year, we received 293 entries across six aquarium categories, representing a remarkable 32.6% increase in aquarium entries compared to 2025.
First and foremost, we would like to sincerely thank all participants for their creativity, dedication, and patience throughout the judging process. The overall quality of the submitted aquascapes was outstanding, making the final rankings exceptionally challenging.
A special thank you goes to our international jury for the time, expertise, and careful consideration they dedicated to evaluating the entries.
π European Aquascaping Champion 2026
Florian Minnerop β Austria
Aquascape: Sundering
Title: European Aquascaping Champion 2026
Category: X-Large
Category Ranking: 1st Place
Aquarium: 120 Γ 50 Γ 50 cm
We are proud to congratulate Florian Minnerop from Austria, the very first European Aquascaping Champion!
His outstanding aquascape Sundering impressed our international jury with its remarkable hardscape composition, harmonious planting, and exceptional photographic presentation.
What the Jury Said
Viktor Lantos β Ranked 1st
Beautiful hardscape and composition. The light sand path and delicate planting remind me of Mr Amanoβs work. The fish complement the layout beautifully, though their positioning in the final photo could be stronger. The reflections add depth to the stunning photography. Congratulations!
Dave Chow β Ranked 1st
The dritwood arrangement are very good, everything look perfect, especially the fish selection.
Tobias Coring β Ranked 3rd
A beautifully designed hardscape with very harmonious planting.
Jurijs Jutjajevs β Ranked 1st | EAPLC Organizer & Judge
A beautiful balance between wood and stone, creating a composition that feels incredibly natural yet carefully considered. The hardscape is perfectly positioned, with a wonderful sense of movement and flow. You can almost see the water running through the landscape.
The sand path is particularly well executed. It feels completely natural, never forced, and even where it disappears from view, your eye can effortlessly follow its imagined course.
The planting is outstanding, with exceptional plant health, maturity, and attention to detail. The choice of rainbowfish adds beautiful colors without distracting from the composition, and the incredibly sharp photography captures everything perfectly.
A truly exceptional aquascape and a thoroughly deserved European Aquascaping Champion!
The European Aquascaping Champion award is proudly supported by our Gold Sponsors ARKA Biotechnologie and Garnelenhaus, home of GlasGarten and SaltyShrimp.
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| ARKA Biotechnologie |
Garnelenhaus GlasGarten & SaltyShrimp |
A huge thank you to both partners for supporting this prestigious new award and helping us celebrate outstanding achievements in European aquascaping.
EAPLC 2026 β Category Winners
Congratulations to the Top 3 aquascapers in each of our six categories!
Nano Category (0β30 L)
π₯ 1st Place β Peter ChnΓΊrik
Aquascape: Where the Stone Opens
Country: Slovakia
Aquarium: 40 Γ 20 Γ 25 cm
Strong focal point, nice mix of plant textures. However, Anubias petite could use more time growing in - the leaves are oriented in all different directions, indicative of a short time being in the aquarium.
π₯ 2nd Place β Petru Dirlau
Aquascape: Neverland
Country: Romania
Aquarium: 30 Γ 30 Γ 30 cm
I like the arrangement of wood and turn out look like a mountain scape with detail planting plan.
π₯ 3rd Place β Adrian Cristian Asaftei
Aquascape: Hide and seek
Country: Romania
Aquarium: 30 Γ 30 Γ 30 cm
Very good sense of depth and a harmoniously arranged hardscape. The moss on the hardscape makes everything look very natural. Shades of green dominate alongside the brown of the hardscape.
Small Category (31β60 L)
π₯ 1st Place β Tomas Eichler
Aquascape: Edge of Collaps
Country: Czech Republic
Aquarium: 60 Γ 30 Γ 30 cm
A wonderful 3-dimensional hardscape. With great depth and lots of details
π₯ 2nd Place β Victor Costa Barber
Aquascape: Dreams of Xuquer River
Country: Spain
Aquarium: 49 Γ 27 Γ 29 cm
The layout of this forest scape are very good, especially the background arrangement.
π₯ 3rd Place β Salvatore Scifo
Aquascape: GENESIS
Country: Italy
Aquarium: 45 Γ 27 Γ 30 cm
What a beautiful tiny world! The crisp photography makes it even more striking, and the red tones of the fish are the icing on the cake. Refining the tree arrangement on the right would strengthen the composition. The Siamese algae eater would also be better housed in a larger aquarium. Otherwise, lovely work!
Medium Category (61β100 L)
π₯ 1st Place β Adrian Cristian Asaftei
Aquascape: Out of the dark
Country: Romania
Aquarium: 75 Γ 35 Γ 34 cm
Aquascape maximises every inch of available space. While the amount of detail and complexity is impressive, I think having some more open space to breathe would be nice. Good work.
π₯ 2nd Place β TakΓ‘cs ZoltΓ‘n
Aquascape: Primeval
Country: Hungary
Aquarium: 60 Γ 35 Γ 35 cm
I really appreciate the dark tones and shadows in your layout, they create a wonderful atmosphere. The main piece of wood is striking, and your careful moss maintenance complements it beautifully. Your fish selection adds elegance to the overall composition. Congratulations, lovely work!
π₯ 3rd Place β Francesco Giampaolo
Aquascape: Rebirth after the earthquake
Country: Italy
Aquarium: 60 Γ 30 Γ 36 cm
A great layout with a very harmonious root arrangement. Impressive!
Large Category (101β200 L)
π₯ 1st Place β Adrian Cristian Asaftei
Aquascape: Gravity
Country: Romania
Aquarium: 100 Γ 50 Γ 40 cm
Impressive hardscape and depth
This aquascape has an almost otherworldly quality. The massive rock formation appears to float in the center of the composition, creating an incredibly dramatic scene reminiscent of Avatar. At the same time, the surrounding landscape seems to bend and distort around it, almost like reality being warped by a black hole.
The fish selection, particularly the Indian glass catfish, complements this surreal atmosphere beautifully. Everywhere you look, there are fascinating details to discover.
The plants are expertly combined, with carefully balanced leaf shapes, sizes, textures, and colors. Growth and overall plant health are outstanding, and the entire layout is beautifully maintained and completely free of visible algae.
A spectacular, imaginative, and exceptionally well-executed aquascape!
π₯ 2nd Place β Bruno Fiorenza
Aquascape: Ithilien
Country: Italy
Aquarium: 100 Γ 50 Γ 40 cm
Strong perspective lines creates a strong impact. I enjoy the touch of color and lush plant growth even though the aquascape is heavily build-up with hardscape. Great work done.
π₯ 3rd Place β Agnieszka Schoeneck
Aquascape: Afterfall
Country: Poland
Aquarium: 90 Γ 45 Γ 45 cm
Central compositions are challenging, but youβve made this one work beautifully with the moss-covered hardscape. The fish complement it wonderfully. A wider-angle lens could enhance the sense of depth, but then the grassy background would be a different visual effect. Lovely work!
X-Large Category (201β300 L)
π₯ 1st Place β Florian Minnerop
Aquascape: Sundering
Country: Austria
Aquarium: 120 Γ 50 Γ 50 cm
Special Award: European Aquascaping Champion 2026
A beautifully designed hardscape with very harmonious planting.
π₯ 2nd Place β Karsten DΓΌnne
Aquascape: Unveiling
Country: Germany
Aquarium: 120 Γ 50 Γ 50 cm
Brilliant hardscape and depth. Excellent photo and light.
π₯ 3rd Place β SΕawomir Szaniawski
Aquascape: Whispers of the Undergrowth
Country: Poland
Aquarium: 100 Γ 50 Γ 50 cm
A good forest scape with perfect moss condition.
2X-Large Category (301+ L)
π₯ 1st Place β Marco Kowal
Aquascape: The Geometry of Weightlessness
Country: Netherlands
Aquarium: 120 Γ 55 Γ 50 cm
High level of technical mastery in hardscape work coupled with refined plant layering. Great work.
π₯ 2nd Place β Luis Filipe Samora Cardoso
Aquascape: Beyond The Shadows
Country: Portugal
Aquarium: 120 Γ 60 Γ 45 cm
The driftwood arrangementare very good, plants selection and condition are also very good.
π₯ 3rd Place β Pavol Kulanda
Aquascape: Drifting
Country: England
Aquarium: 120 Γ 60 Γ 45 cm
Elegant roots form a graceful arch around a bright opening. Airy and well-kept with a very harmonious plant selection.
What I particularly love about this aquascape is the beautiful interaction between the large, exposed stones, the flowing roots, and the plants behind them. Their shapes and directions complement and continue one another so naturally that you can almost see the water flowing through the entire composition.
It's a wonderful example of a lush, fully submerged aquascape that feels both dynamic and incredibly harmonious. The unusual fish selection is another highlight, perfectly suited to the layout and refreshingly different from what we typically see in competitions.
There is something to discover everywhere you look: a small detail, an interesting plant, another carefully considered combination of textures and shapes. Despite this incredible richness, the composition never feels overcrowded or artificial.
A beautifully balanced, highly detailed, and exceptionally harmonious aquascape. Excellent work!
Complete EAPLC 2026 Rankings
Congratulations not only to our category winners, but to every aquascaper who participated in EAPLC 2026!
You can find the complete rankings for all six categories in our official PDF document below.
View Complete EAPLC 2026 Results (PDF)
Can't Find Your Name in the Rankings?
Some submissions were excluded from the final rankings for various reasons, including duplicate entries, eligibility requirements, or image editing that did not comply with the contest guidelines.
We have deliberately chosen not to publicly identify excluded participants or their submissions. We understand that mistakes can happen, and we do not wish to assume any wrongdoing or publicly single anyone out.
If you submitted an entry but cannot find your name in the results, please contact us at support@eaplc.eu for further information.
Thank you for your understanding and for helping us maintain a fair and respectful competition.
Upcoming EAPLC Gallery
Due to ongoing technical restructuring of the EAPLC website and submission system, we are currently only able to showcase the winning aquascapes with photographs.
A comprehensive gallery featuring all submitted works is planned as part of our upcoming website redevelopment.
We appreciate your understanding and patience while we work on making the complete EAPLC 2026 collection available.
π EAPLC Award Ceremony β March 6, 2027, Friedrichshafen
This year, we are bringing two major aquascaping events together!
Instead of taking place at Liquid Nature in Vienna as originally planned, the EAPLC 2026 Award Ceremony will be held on Saturday, March 6th, 2027, during Scapers Night at The Art of the Planted Aquarium (TAOTPA) in Friedrichshafen, Germany.
This creates a unique opportunity for participants of both competitions to come together for an unforgettable aquascaping weekend.
EAPLC winners are warmly invited to join us in Friedrichshafen to celebrate their achievements and receive their trophies and certificates in person.
Even better, EAPLC participants can also register for TAOTPA 2027 and take part in the live aquascaping competition during the same weekend.
Two contests. One weekend. One international aquascaping community.
Join TAOTPA 2027
Registration for TAOTPA 2027 opens on October 31st, 2026, through the Liquid Nature Online Shop.
Find out more about the competition at:
www.theartoftheplantedaquarium.eu
Further information about Scapers Night, the EAPLC Award Ceremony, and ticket sales will follow soon.
Thank You to Our Sponsors
EAPLC 2026 would not have been possible without the generous support of our partners.
Powered By
- European Aquaristics
- Aqua Design Amano (ADA)
Gold Sponsors
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| ARKA Biotechnologie |
Garnelenhaus GlasGarten & SaltyShrimp |
Silver Sponsors
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| Aquasabi | Tropica | UNS |
Bronze Sponsors
2Hr Aquarist Β Β | Β Β Aquadeco Β Β | Β Β Mosscotton
We sincerely thank all of our sponsors for supporting EAPLC and helping us promote the art of aquascaping throughout Europe and beyond.
Looking Ahead to EAPLC 2027
As we celebrate another successful edition, we are already looking forward to the future.
EAPLC is planned to return in 2027!
Once again, congratulations to all winners, especially our first European Aquascaping Champion, Florian Minnerop, and a heartfelt thank you to every participant, jury member, sponsor, and supporter who made EAPLC 2026 possible.
We look forward to celebrating with you in Friedrichshafen and welcoming you back for EAPLC 2027!
The EAPLC Team