Brazil

AGAIAC Judge Foreman André Longarço of Brazil is the founder of Aquabase Aquapaisagismo, the pioneer company of Nature Aquarium in Brazil. He currently serves as a judge of several national and international aquascaping contests and speaks internationally about aquascaping and the Wabi Sabi concept.

Hong Kong

Dave Chow was the Grand Prize winner of the ADA International Aquatic Plants Layout Contest 2007, the first Hong Kong person to receive such an honour. Starting in 2003, he has participated in the IAPLC year after year, not just for the prizes, but also for the experience, as well as to spread the concept of the aquascape as a piece of living art. He introduced the “NA concept” to Hong Kong through his company and has been bringing a positive influence to the traditional market. Dave will continue to put his utmost effort in introducing this "Living Art" to the world and holds the firm belief that it will one day become a widely recognised art form, just like painting or sculpture.

Italy

Gloria Ciriello of Italy is an accomplished aquascaper, writer, and educator. She was ranked among the Top 100 winners of the 2021 ADA International Aquatic Plants Layout Contest. Dedicated to promoting the art and culture of aquascaping, she contributes through publications, workshops, and educational events. In 2025, she served as a judge for the Korea International Aquascaping Contest.

Spain

Ismael Aguilar has been an aquarium enthusiast in Spain since 2009. His first participation in an international aquascaping competition was in 2015, and since then he has worked to learn and develop as an aquascaper. He achieved several consecutive top 10 finishes in the AGAIAC and a 2nd place in the Aquatic Garden category in 2024. Recently he won two Spanish championships: 1st Place Aquascaping Spain Contest in both 2024 and 2025. He is also an active member in developing the aquascaping community in Spain as part of the Aquascaping Spain organization, and he has gained experience judging international competitions like Reeflowers Aquascaping Contest and the Korea International Aquascaping Contest, where he still serves as a judge.

Malaysia

Josh Sim is an accomplished aquascaper from Malaysia who has been in this hobby since 2007, consistently placing well in online contests. His aquascaping has evolved over the years, originally with diorama forest style for 8-9 years, then to a mixture of conventional Nature Aquarium with a touch of contemporary impact. In recent years, he has devoted himself completely to an underwater and Biotope-ish style, something that he still sees himself pursuing in the foreseeable future as he strives to fully uncover the potential of this genre.

Netherlands

Bart Laurens of The Netherlands is a well-known speaker on aquarium and terrarium subjects. He is the recipient of many prestigious awards in The Netherlands as well as abroad. He hopes that more and more Dutch Style aquarium lovers from The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and all over the world will enter the AGA contest each year.

United States

Vin Kutty of the USA can trace his involvement in the aquatic plant community back to the early days of the hobby in the US. He wrote a series of articles for The Aquatic Gardener, “Tips & Tricks for the Dutch Aquascape,” which was later turned into a pdf guide, available for free on the AGA web site. While Vin’s aquascaping leans toward classic Dutch style, his ongoing plant nutrient experiments and constant influx of new species keep his designs far from predictable.

United States

Joe Harvey first discovered aquascaping in 2008 while searching for ideas on how to arrange rocks in a cichlid tank. He came across a Dutch style aquascape and knew right then that's the kind of tank he wanted to have. Mastering the Dutch style became his passion along with everything else involved with growing plants underwater. He entered his first AGA contest in 2017 and came in 1st place in the Dutch category. Since then he has logged six more top 3 finishes in the AGAIAC. Today he remains passionate about honing his Dutch skills and teaching the art to others.

Venezuela

Ivan Mikolji is a world-renowned river explorer who tirelessly documents the diversity and wonder of the world. He is an Associate Investigator of the La Salle Institute, promoting the importance of preserving freshwater biodiversity around the globe. His most recent book, Flora of the Orinoco, which showcases the plants found and documented in his expeditions along the Orinoco river basin, will be available in early 2026.

Great Britain

Tai Strietman of the United Kingdom is a freshwater biologist and writer who has worked in the aquarium trade as an aquarist for ZSL London Zoo and is author of the upcoming book Aquatic Habitats – Aquariums Inspired by Nature. He is a specialist on the fishes and habitats of the Pantanal wetlands in Brazil where he lived and worked for a number of years.

Mexico

Viktor Ortiz is an aquatic biologist with a Postgraduate Degree in Conservation. He is a river explorer, and the first biotoper in Mexico. In 2014, 2015 and 2017, he was a finalist in the Biotope Aquarium World Championship and won First and Second Places in the Biotope Category of the AGAIAC. He has been a judge of various aquarium competitions since 2018, and has participated in aquarium forums and exhibitions in different countries.

United States

David Bono is a North Carolina–based aquascaper and educator driven by a love for balance, nature, and design. Blending artistic vision with meticulous technique, he creates underwater landscapes that feel alive. In 2024, David earned 3rd place in the AGAIAC and 25th place in the prestigious Chinese International Aquascaping Contest. Through both his work and teaching, he shares a deep respect for nature’s subtle beauty — and a dedication to pushing the craft of aquascaping forward.

United States

Jack McCarley of the USA is the founder of STUDIO AQUATICA, a product design studio for the aquatic industry. Known for his expertise in Wabi-Kusa and emergent plant husbandry, Jack writes for a variety of publications and lectures nationally.

United States

Nick Kinser of the USA has been an aquascaper and aquarist for nearly 20 years. He has dabbled in most disciplines, from nature style, Dutch and Iwagumi, to blackwater, biotopes and paludariums. He is an accomplished contest aquascaper, with awards in live and online competitions as well as biotope and paludarium entries. His 3rd ever paludarium won 1st place in the 2020 AGAIAC.

United States

Jack McCarley of the USA is the founder of STUDIO AQUATICA, a product design studio for the aquatic industry. Known for his expertise in Wabi-Kusa and emergent plant husbandry, Jack writes for a variety of publications and lectures nationally.

United States

JoAnn Fujii of the USA is a trained horticulturist by education and experience who dabbles in plants now as a hobbyist. Her greatest passion is the Chicago Aquatic Plant Society (CAPS) where she serves as Vice President. She is a frequent judge of both the AGAIAC Wabi-Kusa category and the CAPS Wabi-Kusa contest.

United States

AGAIAC Chair Bailin Shaw of the USA founded the Chicago Aquatic Plant Society in early 2016. He serves as the current president of the Chicago club and also serves as an executive board member for the Aquatic Gardeners Association.