Guidelines

Time schedule

• April 20, 2023 – Pre-registration call
• May 20, 2023 – Submissions open
• July 20 August 15, 2023 – Submissions closed
  
• August 20, 2023 – Start of the evaluation process
• September 20, 2023 – The evaluation is concluded
• October 20, 2023 – Publication of the results
• November 20, 2023 – Prize-giving

Who can participate?

EVERYONE! The contest is FREE: NO FEES are required to submit your entry. Any freshwater and brackish water aquarium is welcome to enter the BIOTOPE AQUARIUM Contest.

Limits on BAC participation:

Your tank must be NEW ENTRY – first time ever in the contest. To avoid double entries, it is not allowed to submit the BAP entry (including a photograph of the same work taken from a different angle) to other biotope/aquascape contests (except BAP authorized contests). The biotope aquarium entries that violate this condition may become subject to disqualification, before and after the determination of the world ranking.

The top 3 entries ranked with 50 and less points are not presented with sponsor’s products awards, unless the sponsors decide otherwise.

How to particpate?

It’s easy! The participation in the contest is regulated through the BAP Platform. All biotope entries, including photos/videos must be submitted online following the unified procedure for everyone.

To participate, just register and follow the Instructions.

Which biotope data are required?

You have to supply the following datas:

• BIOTOPE IN NATURE: name of the biotope, introduction text, location, photo/video, inhabitants, aquatic vegetation, water chemistry, substrate in Nature, aquatic biotope, environment, bibliography/sitography
• BIOTOPE AQUARIUM MODEL: title of the biotope aquarium, introduction text, location, photo/video, inhabitants, aquatic vegetation, water chemistry, aquarium information, substrate in aquarium, bibliography/sitography

Provide as complete and accurate information as you can, it will benefit the biotope community.

Once you have supplied the form with the GPS data, your biotopes will appear on the BAP Map.

An example?

Here are 2 examples to look at:

• BIOTOPE IN NATURE – Eubenangee Swamp National Park North Qld Australia
• BIOTOPE AQUARIUM MODEL – Eubenangee Swamp National Park North Qld Australia

Take a note: the biotope references are an important information source and will be checked by the BAC judges!

How many biotope aquariums can I submit?

Unlimited

Biotope Categories

The BIOTOPE AQUARIUM Contest is subdivided into in 8 categories according to the geographical regions of the world:

• Category 1: NORTHERN AMERICA
• Category 2: CENTRAL AMERICA, CARIBBEAN
• Category 3: SOUTH AMERICA
• Category 4: EASTERN EUROPE, NORTHERN EUROPE, SOUTHERN EUROPE, WESTERN EUROPE
• Category 5: EASTERN AFRICA, MIDDLE AFRICA, NORTHERN AFRICA, SOUTHERN AFRICA, WESTERN AFRICA
• Category 6: CENTRAL ASIA, SOUTHERN ASIA, WESTERN ASIA
• Category 7: EASTERN ASIA
• Category 8: SOUTHEASTERN ASIA, OCEANIA

Evaluation process

The 16 members of the independent BAC International Jury (2 in each Category) are experts specialized in the particular geographical region.

They are selected and appointed by the BAP Contest committee, based on their independence and reputation in the field of Biotope Science and Aquarium Hobby.

The BAP Jury will assess the 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd place winners for each one of the 8 Categories (24 winners in total) once all datas of the submitted biotope aquariums are checked, organized, uploaded to the BAP database and forwarded to the Judges.

Evaluation criteria

These are the factors that will be considered by the International Jury in order to assess the winners:

BIOTOPE IN NATURE

• Quality and reliability of information about the original biotope

BIOTOPE AQUARIUM MODEL

• Variety and system’s viability
• Conformity to the BIOTOPE IN NATURE
• Natural beauty
• Quality and accuracy of the aquarium data

Quality of the visual support

• Photo
• Video
• Graphic Material (aquarium layout, etc…)

For more details visit BAC Evaluation Criteria

Attention: Lower-ranked entries may not be included in the BAP-MAP.

Biotope data submission forms

You have to fill out 2 forms:

1. BIOTOPE IN NATURE
2. BIOTOPE AQUARIUM MODEL

These are two simple forms to fill in with the information about your biotope. In doing so, you can manage the data in a very easy manner without forgetting to mention something important.

BAC forms are thought to make your participation easy and fun! They are standardized and will allow us a precise and fast elaboration of your biotope data.

By following our advices you will do it in the best possible way. And become our BAC Champion!

What happens to my ©content?

All BIOTOPES IN NATURE and BIOTOPE AQUARIUM MODELS submitted by participants will be published on the BAP Platform and will remain of FREE ACCESS to the BAP community.