EAPLC 2025 Results Revealed: 227 Entries Compete Across 8 New Categories
EAPLC 2025 Results Revealed: 227 Entries Compete Across 8 New Categories
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We are excited to bring you the latest update from Europe: The European Aquatic Plant Layout Contest (EAPLC) 2025 has officially announced its results. After a creative pause in 2024, the contest has returned with renewed energy, attracting a total of 227 entries and marking a significant evolution in its history with a completely restructured category system.
A Structural Revolution
The defining feature of EAPLC 2025 is the "modernization" of the contest structure. Moving away from broader classifications, this year introduced a refined system comprising 8 distinct categories. This strategic shift has ensured a fairer playing field and garnered enthusiastic participation across the board.
Statistics from this year show that the competition was fiercest in the Small (31-60L) and X-Large (201-300L) divisions.
Here is the breakdown of the 227 entries by category for EAPLC 2025:
1. Aquarium Categories
Six specific volume ranges were established to cover the full spectrum of aquascaping:
Nano (0 – 30 Liters): 11 entries
01 - Mes petits poissons - Thierry Fischbach - France02 - Dusks Embrace Over Yakushima - Agnieszka Schoeneck - Poland03 - Natures Breeze - Francisco Gomes - Portugal04 - Flooded forest - Alen Hodi - Croatia05 - Under the old tree - Asaftei Adrian Cri - Romania06 - Gemelli Diversi - Macovei Cristian - Italia07 - Mr Milan Hulka - Czech Republic08 - Cradle - Iris Audenrieth - Germany09 - Radiant Silence - Tom Mees - Germany10 - Secret canyon - Marko Zimonjic - Serbia11 - Betta Paradise - Thorsten Viljoen - Germany
Small (31 – 60 Liters): 45 entries (Highest participation)
01 - MIDGARD - Ismael Figueira - Portugal02 - Rocky shore - Tamas Fabian - Hungary03 - Beneath the canopy - Vico Friedsam - Deutschland04 - The weight of silence - Adam Dziadek - Polska05 - Branches - Sandor Matrai - Hungary06 - Before the Storm - Marcin Biedal - Poland07 - Red Heart - Aikaterini Tsiotsiou - Greece08 - Imaginarium - Francisco Gomes - Portugal09 - Echoes of the Wild - Filip Stefanovic - Serbia10 - Breaking dawn - Ludovit Markotan - Slovakia11 - Retribution - Robert Babi - Slovakia12 - A Stream of Serenity - Calvin Barborik - Austria13 - Antler - Marc di Pancrazio - Deutschland14 - Hakkai Stream - Tom Dienemann - Germany15 - Lets go to new realms - Iris Audenrieth - Germany16 - Smaragd - Erik Bensch - Deutschland17 - Golden Sunset - Tom Mees - Germany18 - Whispering Trail - Tobias Grb - Germany19 - Down the Stream - Jozef Scury - Slovakia20 - Vesper - Francesco Giampaolo - Italia21 - Little green flow - Pascal Germer - Germany22 - Depth of trees - Lang Viktor - Magyarorszag23 - Hidden Valley - Fabian Haack - Germany24 - Frhlingswiese - Daniel Schenke - Deutschland25 - Where Light Meets Silence - Bartomiej Chobot - Poland26 - Nightfall - Gabor Nagy - Hungary27 - Color Island - Lukas Lampl - sterreich28 - Fangorn Forest - Gabriel Jesus - Portugal29 - The wall - Andras Hollo - Hungary30 - ADA Cube Garden 45 P - Pavol Stefancik - Slovakia31 - Escalvadouro - Toze Nunes - Portugal32 - Tectonic Fracture - Jascha Gusmeroli - Poland33 - River Bed - Joao Fernandes - Portugal34 - The Land of Black and Green - Sven Kbler - Deutschland35 - Wildflower Meadows - Oluseyi Akintoye - Ireland36 - Slow flow - Christian Kischnick - Deutschland37 - Viking ship - Bjorn Anders Boe - Norge38 - Dancing in the Emerald Garden - Dawid Mucha - Polska39 - Rocky Roots - Helena-Kroot Haidak - Estonia40 - Little island - Jerome Rivera - France41 - Almost Dutch - Corne Spoon - Nederland42 - Aurora - Florian Raeder - Deutschland43 - Breakout - Kristof Bruyninckx - Belgi44 - Beeland - Jessica Fichtner- Hentschel - Germany45 - In My Beautiful Garden - Drazen Moraca - Bosnia and Herzegovina
Medium (61 – 100 Liters): 30 entries
01 - Birds Flight - Christoph Maisch - Austria02 - Valley of the reds - Asaftei Adrian Cristian - Romania03 - Nature Xscape - Tomas Eichler - Czech Republic04 - Alto Minho - CLEIR DUBOIS - Portugal05 - The New Dawn - Peter Chnurik - Slovakia06 - Riven - Jozef Scury - Slovakia07 - The Inner Light - Bruno Fiorenza - Italy08 - In the wilds - Valerii Nemashkalo - Ukraine09 - Sunrise Serenity - Jannik Ehrich - Germany10 - Haven - Tanja Pechhold - Germany11 - Harmony - Karsten Dnne - Deutschland12 - Wispering waters - Sergio Moya garcia - Spain13 - The Crown - Lang Viktor - Magyarorszag14 - Let it be - Stefan Krmer - Germany15 - Lucerna - Oscar Ruiperez - Espaa16 - Daydream II - Resat Hilmi Erdem - Trkiye17 - The Waking Forest - Takacs Zoltan - Magyarorszag18 - Sunken - Rasmus Wegerer - Germany19 - Enigma - Benjamin Nle - Deutschland20 - Dschungel - Philipp Steinbrck - Germany21 - The Green Frodoheart - Stefan Brandstdter - Deutschland22 - Adam Creation - Istvan Bartha - Romania23 - Innocence - Dmitry Shulyak - Belarus24 - Taa - Macovei Cristian - Italia25 - Flame Beneath the Canopy - Tom Mees - Germany26 - The Forgotten Valley - Ruben Santos - Spain27 - Venom - Anastassija Kalinina - Estonia28 - Green Oasis - Marek Kampf - esko29 - Valley of plenty - Dawid Mucha - Polska30 - The Pea Tree - Lloyd Jobson - England
Large (101 – 200 Liters): 32 entries
01 - Afterlife - Asaftei Adrian Cristian - Romania02 - Two stories - Alen Hodi - Croatia03 - Pride Rock - Christoph Maisch - Austria04 - The whisper of the stones - Jose Luis Catedra Martinez - Espaa05 - Random - Juan fco Aba serra - Espaa06 - Cradle of Mountains - Philipp Semla - Germany07 - Dragonscale Pass - Andrea Feliciano - Italia08 - Harmony - Gabor Nagy - Magyarorszag09 - mister - Jii mahel - esko10 - Between two worlds - Andrei Moisa - Romania11 - Drowned tree - David Perez - Espaa12 - LA GREVOLOSA - Bernat Hosta Rovira - Spain13 - Al filo del ocaso - Gustavo Palacio - Espaa14 - Memory - Jimmy Rey - France15 - A glance of summer - Clemens Jonas Derflinger - sterreich16 - The change of flow - Mark-Jan Fioole - Netherlands17 - Dancing Water - Sebastian Hopf - Germany18 - I do - Antonio Jose Fabero Sanchez - Espaa19 - Valley of Stillness - Lauri Mllo - Estonia20 - Origins - Pedro Moreira - Portugal21 - Space Odyssey - Kostas Koltouktsoglou - Greece22 - Painted Nature - Victor Schaenzle - sterreich23 - Dragon - Sylwester Maruszewski - Poland24 - Continuity of Nature - Elvis Hastor - Germany25 - aan - Macovei Cristian - Italia26 - Sunrise at the Coventinas fountain - Breogan Perez Fernandez - Espaa27 - Fire in the forest - Niklas Rath - Germany28 - Harmony - Manuel Hartmann - sterreich29 - Hold on - Koloman Ondruek - Slovakia30 - Reverse Flow - Jose Matias Sanchez - Spain31 - Flossengenossen - Christian Brandhorst - Deutschland32 - Whispers of the lush forest - Pascal Germer - Germany
X-Large (201 – 300 Liters): 43 entries (Highly competitive large tank division)
01 - River Echoes - Luis Cardoso - Portugal02 - Deep - Asaftei Adrian Cristian - Romania03 - Verdant Cascade - Karsten Dnne - Deutschland04 - Dark - Antonio Nikolic - Croatia05 - Down by the river - Thorsten Peetz - Deutschland06 - Wild Eleocharis - Rene Bieber - Austria07 - FENRIRSKOGEN - Ismael Figueira - Portugal08 - The Tsunami - Marcin Biedal - Poland09 - Last Chance - Dorin Florian Romaniuc - United Kingdom10 - Magic Glimpse - Jonathan Krause - Deutschland11 - Neon lights - Andrey Zakhartsov - Russia12 - BREACHED Cardamine Lyratas Refuge - Roberto Buenadicha - Spain13 - Silk - Florian Friedrich Bergerhoff - Germany14 - Old Forest - Albert Escrihuela Caceres - Spain15 - Eucalyptus country awakening - Ludovit Markotan - Slovakia16 - Dragons Mouth - Krzysztof Blizniak - Polska17 - Crosstown Traffic - Jean-Christophe GROSSET - France18 - sot el lliri - Alejandro Rios Martin - Espaa19 - Sunken Dam - Alexander Hecht - Austria20 - Two sons lifes - Victor Costa - Spain21 - Whispers of the Canopy - Andrei Moisa - Romania22 - Laugh Tale - Samuel Pachschwll - sterreich23 - Whispers - Przemysaw Wilk - Polska24 - Back to the Roots - Fabio Prata - Germany25 - Whispers of the Forest - Marcel Wehner - Germany26 - ancient forest - idomeneas stratakis - Greece27 - Levitation - Andras Fonodi - Hungary28 - First sunset - Daniel Martin - Espaa29 - Underskov - David Nrholm - Danmark30 - Across the silent rift - Bartomiej Chobot - Poland31 - Brazil - Marc di Pancrazio - Deutschland32 - Whispering Highlands - Andreas Mnwall - Sverige33 - Whispers of the Cryptic Canopy - Anita Schwarz - Austria34 - The perpetual twilight - Daniel Gonzalez - Espaa35 - Whispers of the wild - Nico Luchoro - Spain36 - Whispers of the Rift - Michal imek - Slovensko37 - Whispers of the Valley - Adam Woniakowski - Poland38 - Calm water - Andre Kussin - Germany39 - Between the woods - Jonas Ruhland - Germany40 - Juwel 240 - Richard Niedermeier - Germany41 - Two Islands in harmony - Hubert Stam - Germany42 - Ruber - Daniel Schenke - Deutschland43 - River Flow - Oliver Dorner - Deutschland
2X-Large (301+ Liters): 28 entries
01 - Erosion - Pavol Kulanda - United Kingdom02 - Paths Of Highlands - BOURDIN Ludo - France03 - Rolling River - Ismael Aguilar Soria - Espaa04 - Lost Woods - Alexander Hecht - Austria05 - Vibrance - Fabian Beck - Germany06 - First Sunset of November - Joao Pinheiro - Portugal07 - Currents - Marco Kowal - The Netherlands08 - Escaping from the Sunrise - Marcin Biedal - Poland09 - African Stream - Mario Schaufler - Austria10 - Trail of current Estela de la corriente - Cristian Strutu Climent - Espaa11 - Pulse - Salvador Macias Torres - Espaa12 - Release the kraken - Florian Breindl - Germany13 - Miracle valley - Milos Nikolic - Serbia14 - Diamonds in the sky - Jirka Pova - Czech Republic15 - Vitality - Albert Escrihuela Caceres - Spain16 - Pearls - Gerhard Rabenseifner - sterreich17 - Jakusima forest - patrik nemeth - Hungary18 - oasis of peace - Martin Moravek - Slovensko19 - Lost World - Raul Gargallo - Spain20 - Hidden aquatic realms - Benjamin Stofferus - Belgi21 - Oracle - Efrain Sequera Moreno - Spain22 - Giugiu - Kire Hajba - Portugal23 - Le royaume de Jade - Laurent GARCIA - France24 - Plantbased - Daniel Perdacher - Austria25 - Underwater Gate of Nature - Sawomir Gob - Polska26 - Peace of Westphalia - Kilian Vormann - Deutschland27 - El Desfiladero - Andres Gonzalez Cervera - Espaa28 - The Last Tree - Dawid Mucha - Polska
2. Paludarium & Wabi-Kusa Categories
Recognizing the art of emersed growth, these divisions also saw solid engagement:
Small (0 – 10 Liters): 24 entries
01 - Rootbound spirits - Karsten Dnne - Deutschland02 - Reawakening - Arzu Songur - Trkiye03 - CREEKBED 20 - Srinath srinivasan - Poland04 - Rotalas Crown - Tom Dienemann - Germany05 - Roots of Wilderness - Vico Friedsam - Deutschland06 - Cyptanthus Red mit der Orchidee im Moos - Jennifer Claus - Deutschland07 - Trinity - Jonas Loose - Germany08 - Little magical world - Tobias Grb - Germany09 - Master of Science in Management - Kamil Niedzielski - Polska10 - Green Throne - Ralph Bethge - Germany11 - A Root on the River Bank - Nazm Durmaz - Trkiye12 - Pathway Through Mother Nature - Jannis Weber - Germany13 - My Way - Stefan Brandstdter - Deutschland14 - Discover Minas Gerais - Stefan Krmer - Germany15 - A Tale of Two Leaves - Adam Dziadek - Poland16 - Fallen tree trunk - Adam Juhas - Slovensko17 - Green rocks - Christian Kischnick - Deutschland18 - A jug with a jug - Dawid Mucha - Polska19 - The Flowing Stump - Liam Kiefer - Germany20 - Canyon - Manuel Hartmann - sterreich21 - Cube of silence - Damian Fichtner - Germany22 - Swing to Eden - Ronja Hesse - Deutschland23 - Wabikusawunder - Julian Mehl - Deutschland24 - Waby Baby - Drazen Moraca - Bosnia and Herzegovina
Large (10+ Liters): 14 entries
01 - Fountain of Life - Andreas Ruppert-Flerlage - Deutschland02 - Shadow Bloom - Daniel Konrad - Switzerland03 - Hagakure - Sergio Maestre - Spain04 - Natures Bastion - Vico Friedsam - Deutschland05 - Koke No Yume - Karsten Dnne - Deutschland06 - Forrest Floor - Tom Dienemann - Germany07 - Disappearing Paradises - Stefan Krmer - Germany08 - Whispering Jungle - Tobias Grb - Germany09 - Green Mountain - Nazm Durmaz - Trkiye10 - AquaOrinoco - Joao Pinheiro - Portugal11 - Fr Sepp - Oliver Dorner - Deutschland12 - Austrian forrest - Mario Schaufler - sterreich13 - Echoes of the canopy - Adam Dziadek - Polska14 - Dark old wood scenery paludarium - Sabina Niedzielska - Poland
Celebrating the Community
The esteemed jury panel (including legends like Dave Chow, Jurijs Jutjajevs, and George Farmer) reviewed these 227 diverse ecosystems to select the winners. These numbers reflect not just participation, but the vibrant resilience of the European aquascaping community.
Award Ceremony & Looking Ahead
To celebrate this new chapter, an in-person Award Ceremony will be held on February 1st, 2026, in Vienna, Austria. The Top 10 contestants in each category are guaranteed a spot. The EAPLC team has also confirmed that this structured approach will continue into the 2026 season, with applications opening on June 1, 2026.
We invite all readers to explore the winning works across these newly defined categories on the official EAPLC website (https://eaplc.eu/eaplc-winners-2025).
Every CIAC results announcement gives the aquascaping community a new collection of works to discuss, study and remember. Behind the winning photograph is a longer story: earlier competitions, ideas developed across seasons, and the practical work of bringing a landscape to life.
Before the CIAC 2026 results arrive on October 10, there is time to look again at the aquascapes that made the previous season memorable. The most useful question is not simply which work finished highest. It is how each composition earned our attention—and what we notice when we return to it.
Before a new IAPLC winner is revealed, the previous season deserves a closer look. Which aquascaping styles filled the TOP 300 in 2025? Did the same visual families become more common in the TOP 100, TOP 27 and TOP 7? And what can those layouts teach us about depth, planting and the way fish bring a composition to life?
This image presents a densely planted underwater scene organized around a pale sandy trail that recedes beneath an arch of roots and foliage. A school of small fish occupies the upper-left and central water, while layered greens, reddish plant accents and hanging root-like forms create strong vertical depth. The composition is highly atmospheric and technically controlled, with darkness at the edges directing attention toward the illuminated opening. Because the photograph does not reveal maintenance history, livestock identification or construction details beneath the planting, those aspects are judged conservatively from visible evidence only.
Twenty-five years. Twenty-five winning aquascapes. Twenty-two individual champions. The history of the IAPLC Grand Prize is a record of how aquascaping has expanded its visual language—from lush planted habitats and open swimming spaces to forests, rock corridors, caves and intricately constructed underwater worlds.
The IAPLC 2026 TOP 300 nominee list offers an opportunity to discover creators whose next work could become a new source of inspiration. Alongside familiar champions are names with a different recent story: a finish outside the Top 300 in 2025, followed by a nomination in 2026.
This image presents a densely planted rocky aquascape organized around a bright central opening that reads as a submerged valley. Dark, sharply layered stones establish the structure, while mosses and fine foliage soften their edges without obscuring the main geological rhythm. Small schooling fish add scale and movement across the upper and middle water, although their exact species and ecological requirements cannot be confirmed from the image alone. The result is a convincing naturalistic scene with strong depth, an unusually effective water-surface transition, and a few areas where planting density and visual control could be refined.
This image presents a densely planted underwater landscape built around a shaded, forest-like stream. Dark framing vegetation and arching wood create a strong tunnel effect, while a pale central opening supplies depth and directs attention toward the rear of the composition. A group of small fish occupies the middle water, reinforcing the impression of a living habitat. The scene is highly immersive and technically ambitious, although the darkness at both sides and the very dense planting make some structural relationships difficult to read. Scores below are editorial estimates based only on this image, not official contest results.
The IAPLC 2026 TOP 300 nominees include a compelling mix of former champions and accomplished competitors. One detail makes this year's announcement especially exciting: all four of the top finishers from IAPLC 2025 are nominated again—Josh Sim, Gang Zhao, Katsuki Tanaka and Hidekazu Tsukiji.
The 2026 Great Wall Cup International Aquascaping Contest (CIAC) has completed its submission phase and moved into judging, receiving 650 entries from 29 countries and regions.
Japan has the largest representation in the IAPLC 2026 TOP 300 nominee list, with 68 names. AquaLibs' analysis of ADA's official list counts 300 nominees across 49 countries and areas, with Vietnam third by nominee count.
Twenty-nine Vietnamese aquascapers have been named in the IAPLC 2026 TOP 300 nominee list published by ADA. Their nominations give Vietnam's aquascaping community a shared reason to celebrate as attention turns to the final results on October 10.
The IAPLC 2026 TOP 300 nominee list is available, with final results scheduled for Saturday, October 10, 2026. For aquascaping enthusiasts, it is time to find familiar names and prepare for the reveal.
This image presents a densely planted forest-style aquascape organized around a bright opening and a pale, winding foreground channel. Massive dark roots create an overhead canopy and repeated vertical trunks, while small schooling fish provide scale and movement through the central space. The work is exceptionally complete visually, with mosses and compact plants covering much of the hardscape. Because the review is based on one photograph, plant identities, tank dimensions, maintenance history and the exact fish ecology cannot be verified. The scores below are an editorial estimate, not an official contest result.
This image presents a densely planted underwater ravine built from dark, layered rocks and heavily mossed branches or ledges. A school of small, vividly marked fish occupies the central passage, while a bright opening behind the hardscape supplies the principal depth cue. The layout has a strong sense of enclosure, movement and vertical relief, although the very dark edges make some construction and planting details difficult to assess. The following scores are an editorial estimate based only on this submitted image, not an official contest result, and long-term maintenance cannot be verified from a single photograph.
This image presents a densely planted underwater forest organized around sweeping, interlocking driftwood. Fine-leaved growth covers much of the wood, while open water in the central lower area gives a school of vertically striped, long-finned fish room to move. The composition is immersive and convincingly mature in appearance, with strong depth created by overlapping branches, dark recesses and brighter planting behind the main structure. Because the image shows only one finished view, maintenance history, exact plant identities and hidden construction cannot be verified. The following scores are an editorial estimate, not an official contest result.
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