Life be Beautiful Like Summer Flowers - IIAC 2019 #23 - Tomihiro Kan / China

“IAPLC2025” received 1,533 entries from 77 countries and areas. After careful evaluation, this year’s world rankings have been determined. And we are delighted to announce them here.

The moment I saw this aquascape my eyes were completely capti-vated, because it is packed full of highlights. I was fascinated by its unforgettable view.

It was really difficult to choose the best aquarium. In the first 10-20 selections, the realisations were all very close, and each had very good qualities, often in very different styles. But this one caught my eye at first glance.

In just a few days, the entire aquascaping world will hold its breath as it watches the most anticipated event of the year: the announcement of the results of the International Aquatic Plants Layout Contest (IAPLC) 2025. This is the world's largest and most prestigious aquascaping competition, organized by ADA of Japan. It's a stage to honor artistic aquascapes and a playground for artists from all over the world to showcase their talent, creativity, and passion.

The work expresses the swirling flow of water by using several thin pieces of driftwood. The driftwood looks like the roots of a tree washed by the water, creating a successful fusion of formative beauty and a sense of nature. The shadows of the protruding stones look like the entrance to a cave, adding variety to the aquascape.

The work recreates a distinctive natural landscape with bent driftwood and reddish-brown stones. The work depicts a narrow stream of cosmetic sand flowing from the center and right side of the aquascape and merging in the foreground. The aquatic plants are impressive and fit this unique landscape.

It is a Nature Aquarium style work with a large piece of driftwood as the main element. The ferns covering the driftwood and the dense foliage of Anubias and Cryptocoryne give a sense of the passage of time. The red floating leaves are also nice accents.

Layout materials in the composition of this work is very well-arranged, and the aquascape has a natural feeling. In the foreground, two large driftwood pieces are set up on the top forming a sense of stability as they are placed facing each other.

Placing in the top 100 |APLC rankings is quite an admirable feat, and earning the Grand Prize is a truly impressive and rare accomplish-ment, rising to the top of so many fine compositions. 

In evaluation for the APLC 2022, I decided to give my Best Aquarium to the work called "Dawnlight" . This year, this layout was a haunt- ingly beatiful and peaceful aquascape for me. Evaluating this work as the best, I was very happy that it represents the style that shaped the IAPLC competition.

This year's Grand Prix was awarded to the work depicting the nature of a mountainous virgin forest. At first glance, the layout may seem plain, but the balance of the composition and the expression of perspective are excellent and combined with the expression of a sense of nature based on the muted green tones, it is an interesting work that is pleasant to look at and makes you feel as if you are actually in nature. 

This work, which skillfully combined stones and driftwood to express a deeply gouged valley, won the Gold Prize following the Grand Prix. The perspective is beautifully expressed by taking advantage of the characteristics of this aquarium, which is deeper than a typical W120cm aquarium. 

This work, with its impactful and unique driftwood, won the first Silver Prize. The gap between the small rocky peak at the far end and the large piece of driftwood boldly placed at the very front effectively expresses a sense of perspective. 

The red leaves of the water lilies make a strong impression in this work, which won the second Silver Prize. The layout is as if we are looking up at the surface of the water from the bottom of a pond with highly transparent water, and the symmetrical composition is also effective in this layout.