IAPLC Overview
Takashi Amano-founded competition. Judges from Japan, Europe, Asia. ~2000 entries yearly worldwide.
Top 27 ranked publicly — dream of every serious aquascaper.
Judging Criteria
Technical: plant health, layout composition, visual balance.
Artistic: narrative/theme, originality, aesthetics.
6-Month Prep Timeline
Months 1-2: initial planting and carpet establishment. Months 3-4: plant trimming and shaping.
Month 5: color intensification and final shaping. Month 6: photography prep.
Photography
Professional DSLR + external lighting. Single-use shot for competition.
Post-processing allowed but limited. Natural-looking photo wins over heavily edited.