[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
AGA International Aquascaping Showcase & Contest
Way back in early July of last year, during a discussion on the types of
aquascaping practiced in various parts of the world, I suggested the idea of
an event wherein hobbyists from different parts of the world could display
their aquascaping efforts and people could compare and learn from the
efforts of other hobbyists. This suggestion grew quickly into a separate
group which discussed (argued?) over the idea and it's possible
implementation for over six months. People came, people left, tempers
flared, friendships were made and broken. Ultimately, the discussions
resulted in a coherent idea of an event designed by a grass roots group of
hobbyists for other hobbyists.
I would like to advise the members of the APD that the formal Proposal for
the AGA International Aquascaping Showcase & Contest was submitted to the
Management Committee of the AGA today. They have been requested to review it
and give serious consideration for its adoption as an official AGA event.
Anyone interested in reading the text of the Proposal may do so by going to
the following URL:
http://www.interlog.com/~jpurch/webs/aga-proposal/Cover.htm
Please note that this is NOT an announcement of the event - I am merely
bringing everyone up to speed on what the organizing committee has been up
to for the past seven months, and where we stand right now. The initial work
has been done, and we now await the decision of the AGA MC.
At this point in time, I would also like to stress the fact that this event
is NOT just another contest. A lot of thought and effort went into designing
this event to be as open and "user friendly" as possible, and it therefore
includes aspects of both a Showcase and a Contest.
I would like to publicly thank each and every person who contributed to this
effort over the past months; without your input, feeback and suggestions the
Proposal would not have been possible. I would also like to publicly
apologize for stepping on anybody's feelings during the course of our
deliberations. I know that I'm not the easiest person in the world to work
with, but I had a vision of what this event could be that I would not let
anyone confuse or confound. I'm sorry if I stepped on any toes, but I think
that a reading of the final Proposal will show that it owes as much to those
who left the group as it does to those who remained. This one is for
EVERYONE.
So, where to from here? Much work remains to be done, if this event is going
to be a success. Some of the areas that have to be covered include:
Web-site - Content preparation and links
Links - Aquascaping, Photography, Digital Photography, Scanning
Translation - French, Spanish, German, Dutch, Italian, Japanese, etc.
Information on non-North American aquarium magazines - name of magazine,
name of Publisher, name of Editor, mailing address, frequency of
publication, focus of magazine
Potential Judges
Date of Event
Announcement letters out
Schedule for on-line announcements and follow-ups
Contacting potential prize donors
Local Contacts - in various cities and countries
At this point in time, I ask that any member of the APD who is interested in
aquascaping read the Proposal and to look at the above list and give SERIOUS
consideration to getting involved with the remainder of this process.
The committee is in serious need of people who are fluent in languages OTHER
than English. This event is designed to be International in both character
and scope and it would be very nice to be able to present the web-based
material in a variety of languages (i.e. we NEED folks who can translate the
text on the web-site into a variety of languages).
We could also use input on hobbyist magazines in languages other than
English to increase the scope of our ultimate publication of the event.
Having individuals in a variety of countries who could act as local contacts
for potential entrants would also be helpful. Many of you live outside of
North America, and could be of great benefit to this effort.
Any of you with experience in photographing your aquariums and/or scanning
images could offer valuable help to potential entrants, especially if you
live in areas outside of North America.
The archives of the event's discussions to date can be found at:
http://lists.thekrib.com/aga-contest/
To subscribe to the AGA Contest list, e-mail majordomo at thekrib_com with
"subscribe aga-contest" in the body of the message. To subscribe to the
digest version, add "subscribe aga-contest-digest in the same message.
I do ask that anyone thinking of joining the list to "lurk" to think again -
we need people who are willing and eager to get actively involved. It WON'T
take up a lot of your time, nor do you have to be an "expert", EVERYONE is
able to help in some way. I would also like to receive an email from
everyone wishing to join giving me their name, country of residence and how
they feel they might be able to help (many of you use "handles" or "aliases"
in your e-mail addresses and there is no indication of who you actually are
or where you live).
Many of us owe our initial introduction to this hobby to the unselfish
sharing of established hobbyists. This event offers everyone an opportunity
to help spread the word about our hobby and to give back some of the good
will we have received over the years. Please get involved - apathy sucks.
James Purchase
Toronto
AGA international Aquascaping Showcase & Contest Committee