6 Finalists Selected!
To Present to Mr.Amano & Compete for 3 Grand Prizes on July 4th

The 6 finalists to present their vision of Iwagumi to Mr.Amano and senior Indian hobbyists on July 4th are:

Gautam Jaiswal (Rocky)
Dev Sengupta
Surya Niki
UV Umesh
Seetharam Rai
Vikramjit Das

Deadline for Entries: June 15, 2009

Indian Rockstar – Amano Judged Iwagumi Layout Contest with a prize value of Rupees 1.5 lakhs**

1st Prize:    Value of Rs. 75,000
2nd Prize:   Value of Rs. 50,000
3rd Prize:    Value of Rs. 25,000

We know all Indian aquarium hobbyists are getting excited and looking forward to meeting Mr.Takashi Amano. To encourage our fraternity of like-minded enthusiasts we welcome you to enter the Indian Rockstar--Iwagumi Layout Competition.

What is Iwagumi?

Many of you will be familiar with Iwagumi. It is a traditional Japanese rock placement style. The term comes from "iwa" meaning rock, and "gumi" (strictly speaking its "kumi") which means collection or group. Therefore, by definition, "iwagumi" is a "collection of rocks". "Iwagumi" refers to the craft of stones arrangement.

The craft was originally developed in Japanese gardens and the techniques have been generalized to other crafts. The main goals in Iwagumi are to keep a natural, weathered look and a balanced arrangement. Mr.Amano is a leading exponent and proponent of the Iwagumi style of aquascaping. He has written numerous articles and presented his vision and practical execution of Iwagumi in leading aqua publications.

How can I enter Indian Rockstar--Iwagumi Layout Competition?

Step 1:

Write a description (maximum 200 words) of your vision of Iwagumi aquascaping. We have deliberately left the scope open, but here are some topics you can cover:
• Your name and any other personal information you would like to share.
• How long you’ve maintained an aquarium. How you became interested in the hobby?
• In Iwagumi, what rock sizes, shapes, and colours you would use and why?
• The plants you would use along with the rocks and why?
• The types of fish and inverts you would keep and why?
• Describe your dream Nature Aquarium in a few sentences.

Step 2:

Email this 200 word description along with 1 photograph of yourself to rockstar@amanoinindia.com with this subject line: "Indian Rockstar--Iwagumi Layout Competition”.

Rules:***

• The deadline for entries is June 15th when 6 finalists will be chosen.
• 200 word description must be created by only the hobbyist who is entering the competition.
• A photograph of the person entering the contest is mandatory.
• These final 6 contestants will be selected by senior IAH and ADA expert judges at their sole discretion.
• The 6 finalists will have to be present in Bangalore on July 5th to present their vision to Mr.Amano, senior Indian hobbyists and the Aquatika audience.

**   These prize values are for purchase of ADA India products and services (not cash prizes).
***  Rules and contest format subject to change at the sole discretion of ADA India.