2006 FAAS Publication Awards Winners
Congratulations to all the winners and the societies that participated in the awards.
To promote excellence in publishing, we offer here many of the first-place winning entries for electronic download as PDF. We have some information about the judging process below.
| Cat | Description | Place | Author or Editor | Article Title (if applicable) | Publication | Society |
| 1 | Best Editor and Publication more than 6 issues | 1st Place | Alex Priest | Modern Aquarium | Greater City Aquarium Society | |
| 1 | Best Editor and Publication more than 6 issues | 2nd Place | Robert Kulesa | Tank Tales | Aquarium Club of Lancaster County | |
| 1 | Best Editor and Publication more than 6 issues | 3rd Place | James Quattropani | Pisces Press | Nassau County Aquarium Society | |
| 1 | Best Editor and Publication more than 6 issues | Honorable Mention | Arie Gilbert | Paradise Press | Long Island Aquarium Society | |
| 2 | Best Editor and Publication 6 or fewer issues | 1st Place | Josè M Centeno | El Ojo de Agua | Associón de Acuaristas de Aguadilla | |
| 4 | Best Changing Cover, Non-Original Art (564K PDF) |
1st Place | Jason Kerner | Modern Aquarium | Greater City Aquarium Society | |
| 4 | Best Changing Cover, Non-Original Art | 2nd Place | Arie Gilbert | Paradise Press | Long Island Aquarium Society | |
| 4 | Best Changing Cover, Non-Original Art | 3rd Place | Josè M. Centeno | El Ojo de Agua | Associón de Acuaristas de Aguadilla | |
| 5 | Best FAAS-Related Article (300K PDF) |
1st Place | Pat Smith | FAAS Report, March 2006 | Pisces Press | Nassau County Aquarium Society |
| 5 | Best FAAS-Related Article | 2nd Place | Pat Smith | FAAS Report, December 2006 | Pisces Press | Nassau County Aquarium Society |
| 5 | Best FAAS-Related Article | 3rd Place | Pat Smith | FAAS Report, June 2006 | Pisces Press | Nassau County Aquarium Society |
| 6 | Best Exchange Column (288K PDF) |
1st Place | Kurt Johnston | Piscatorial Pearls, December 2006 | Tank Tales | Aquarium Club of Lancaster County |
| 6 | Best Exchange Column | 2nd Place | Stephen and Donna Sosna Sica | Fish Bytes, August 2006 | Modern Aquarium | Greater City Aquarium Society |
| 6 | Best Exchange Column | 3rd Place | Pat Smith | X-Change-It!, April 2006 | Pisces Press | Nassau County Aquarium Society |
| 7 | Best Review Column (298K PDF) |
1st Place | Susan Priest | Wet Leaves, December 2006 | Modern Aquarium | Greater City Aquarium Society |
| 7 | Best Review Column | 2nd Place | Evelyn Eagan | Tips, Tricks, Gadgets & Gizmoz | Paradise Press | Long Island Aquarium Society |
| 7 | Best Review Column | 3rd Place | Susan Priest | Wet Leaves, April 2006 | Modern Aquarium | Greater City Aquarium Society |
| 8 | Best Spawning Article, under 500 words (267K PDF) |
1st Place | Marti Horan | Spawning Report for Ancistrus dolichopterus, Long Fin Bushynose Pleco | Fin Flap | Eastern Iowa Aquarium Association |
| 9 | Best Spawning Article, 500-1000 words (300K PDF) |
1st Place | Alex Priest | Badis Ruber: A small fish with a big attitude! | Modern Aquarium | Greater City Aquarium Society |
| 9 | Best Spawning Article, 500-1000 words | 2nd Place | Bernard Harrigan | Melanochromis auratus: Molded by Malawi | Modern Aquarium | Greater City Aquarium Society |
| 9 | Best Spawning Article, 500-1000 words | 3rd Place | Tony Tetro | Breeding Neolamprologus brichardi | Pisces Press | Nassau County Aquarium Society |
| 10 | Best Spawning Article, more than 1000 words (478K PDF) |
1st Place | Alex Priest | A Most Extreme Leaf | Modern Aquarium | Greater City Aquarium Society |
| 10 | Best Spawning Article, more than 1000 words | 2nd Place | Jo Meade | Spawning Arius Jordani | Fin Flap | Eastern Iowa Aquarium Association |
| 10 | Best Spawning Article, more than 1000 words | 3rd Place | Susan Priest | No Pits, No Stems: Barbus titteya - Cherry Barb | Modern Aquarium | Greater City Aquarium Society |
| 10 | Best Spawning Article, more than 1000 words | Honorable Mention | Tony Tetro | Breeding "Aequidens pulcher" - Blue Acara | Pisces Press | Nassau County Aquarium Society |
| 11 | Best Article on a Genus of Fish (325K PDF) |
1st Place | Dan Radebaugh | Tigerfish! | Modern Aquarium | Greater City Aquarium Society |
| 11 | Best Article on a Genus of Fish | 2nd Place | Bernard Harrigan | A Neon is a Neon is a Neon. . . NOT! | Modern Aquarium | Greater City Aquarium Society |
| 11 | Best Article on a Genus of Fish | 3rd Place | Bernard Harrigan | The Seahorse Chronicles: Seahorses Classifed | Modern Aquarium | Greater City Aquarium Society |
| 11 | Best Article on a Genus of Fish | Honorable Mention | Glenn Peterson | Fishy Stories | Paradise Press | Long Island Aquarium Society |
| 12 | Best Article on a Species of Fish (411K PDF) |
1st Place | Bernard Harrigan | Oscar, Oscar, Oscar | Modern Aquarium | Greater City Aquarium Society |
| 12 | Best Article on a Species of Fish | 2nd Place | Bernard Harrigan | Who you calling "Four Eyes" (Anableps anableps) | Modern Aquarium | Greater City Aquarium Society |
| 12 | Best Article on a Species of Fish | 3rd Place | Andy Hudson | A Wolf in Sheeps Clothing or The Hazards of Impulse Buying | Tank Tales | Aquarium Club of Lancaster County |
| 13 | Best Marine Article (339K PDF) |
1st Place | Bernard Harrigan | A Swimming Dragon | Modern Aquarium | Greater City Aquarium Society |
| 13 | Best Marine Article | 2nd Place | Bernard Harrigan | Seahorse Chronicles - Seahorse Profile: The Dwarf Seahorse | Modern Aquarium | Greater City Aquarium Society |
| 13 | Best Marine Article | 3rd Place | Arie Gilbert | Don't Flush! | Paradise Press | Long Island Aquarium Society |
| 13 | Best Marine Article | Honorable Mention | Bernard Harrigan | The Seahorse Chronicles- Seahorse Profile: The Lined Seahorse | Modern Aquarium | Greater City Aquarium Society |
| 15 | Best Continuous FAAS Column |
1st Place | Pat Smith | The FAAS Report | Pisces Press | Nassau County Aquarium Society |
| 16 | Best Article on Aquascaping Design (331K PDF) |
1st Place | Horst Gerber | Oddball Tank | Modern Aquarium | Greater City Aquarium Society |
| 16 | Best Article on Aquascaping Design | 2nd Place | Elliott Oshins | Let's Cross the Bridge | Modern Aquarium | Greater City Aquarium Society |
| 17 | Best Article on Plant Maintenance Cultivation Reproduction (428K PDF) |
1st Place | Joseph Ferdenzi | The Madagascar Lace Plant: a Case Study in Cultivation | Modern Aquarium | Greater City Aquarium Society |
| 17 | Best Article on Plant Maintenance Cultivation Reproduction | 2nd Place | Joy Twentyman-Crock | So You Want a Planted Aquarium - Part 1: Introduction, Difficulty, Level, Container and Substrate | Fin Flap | Eastern Iowa Aquarium Association |
| 17 | Best Article on Plant Maintenance Cultivation Reproduction | 3rd Place | Charley Sabatino | Four (or more) for the Foregroun: Cryptocoryne parva - The Crypt that thinks it's an Anubias | Modern Aquarium | Greater City Aquarium Society |
| 17 | Best Article on Plant Maintenance Cultivation Reproduction | Honorable Mention | Bernard Harrigan | Java Fern (Microsorium pteropus - The "Super Plant" | Modern Aquarium | Greater City Aquarium Society |
| 18 | Best Show Article (341K PDF) |
1st Place | Claudia Dickinson | A Golden Anniversary Celebration is on the way for the Northeast Council of Aquarium Societies | Modern Aquarium | Greater City Aquarium Society |
| 18 | Best Show Article | 2nd Place | Carol Sindelar | The Show, The Entries, and the Winners | Fin Flap | Eastern Iowa Aquarium Association |
| 20 | Best How To or Do It Yourself Article (361K PDF) |
1st Place | Sharon Barnett | Adventures in Fish Shipping: Part 1 | Modern Aquarium | Greater City Aquarium Society |
| 20 | Best How To or Do It Yourself Article | 2nd Place | Evelyn Eagan | Winterizing your Pond | Paradise Press | Long Island Aquarium Society |
| 20 | Best How To or Do It Yourself Article | 3rd Place | Arie Gilbert | DIY . . . Or is that DI Why | Paradise Press | Long Island Aquarium Society |
| 20 | Best How To or Do It Yourself Article | Honorable Mention | Bernard Harrigan | The Seahorse Chronicles: The ABC's of Acclimation | Modern Aquarium | Greater City Aquarium Society |
| 21 | Best General Article on Society Management (293K PDF) |
1st Place | Margaret Peterson | The View . . . From the Other Side of the Tank (December 2006) | Paradise Press | Long Island Aquarium Society |
| 21 | Best General Article on Society Management | 2nd Place | Jim Peterson | Club Auction: Bid Early, Bid Often | Paradise Press | Long Island Aquarium Society |
| 21 | Best General Article on Society Management | 3rd Place | Margaret Peterson | The View . . . From the Other Side of the Tank (May 2006) | Paradise Press | Long Island Aquarium Society |
| 22 | Best Article on Health/Nutrition (374K PDF) |
1st Place | Bernard Harrigan | The Seahorse Chronicles: The Q Word | Modern Aquarium | Greater City Aquarium Society |
| 22 | Best Article on Health/Nutrition | 2nd Place | Bernard Harrigan | The Seahorse Chronicles: Seahorse Sustenance | Modern Aquarium | Greater City Aquarium Society |
| 22 | Best Article on Health/Nutrition | 3rd Place | Claudia Dickinson | HITH Disease: Symptoms, Causes and Cures | Modern Aquarium | Greater City Aquarium Society |
| 22 | Best Article on Health/Nutrition | Honorable Mention | Harry Faustman | Home Grown with Harry: Grindal Worms | Paradise Press | Long Island Aquarium Society |
| 23 | Best Collecting Article (354K PDF) |
1st Place | Dan Radebaugh | Natives, Anyone? | Modern Aquarium | Greater City Aquarium Society |
| 24 | Best Traveling Aquarist Article (362K PDF) |
1st Place | Ray Suydam | Report from the West Coast | Paradise Press | Long Island Aquarium Society |
| 24 | Best Traveling Aquarist Article | 2nd Place | Stephen Sica | Diving in a Fishbowl | Modern Aquarium | Greater City Aquarium Society |
| 25 | Best Humorous Article (379K PDF) |
1st Place | Horst Gerber | The Official Fishmonger Notebook | Modern Aquarium | Greater City Aquarium Society |
| 25 | Best Humorous Article | 2nd Place | Sharon Barnett | Strange Things are Happening | Modern Aquarium | Greater City Aquarium Society |
| 25 | Best Humorous Article | 3rd Place | Margaret Peterson | The View from the Other Side of the Glass (February 2006) | Paradise Press | Long Island Aquarium Society |
| 26 | Best Original Art Work (302K PDF) |
1st Place | Bernard Harrigan | Lined Seahorse - December 2006 | Modern Aquarium | Greater City Aquarium Society |
| 26 | Best Original Art Work | 2nd Place | Bernard Harrigan | Seahorse - March 2006 | Modern Aquarium | Greater City Aquarium Society |
| 26 | Best Original Art Work | 3rd Place | Bernard Harrigan | Leaf Fish - March 2006 | Modern Aquarium | Greater City Aquarium Society |
| 27 | Best Cartoon (228K PDF) |
1st Place | Bernard Harrigan | Always Cover a Tank with Comet Goldfish (June 2006) | Modern Aquarium | Greater City Aquarium Society |
| 27 | Best Cartoon | 2nd Place | Bernard Harrigan | Domino Damselfish | Modern Aquarium | Greater City Aquarium Society |
| 27 | Best Cartoon | 3rd Place | Bernard Harrigan | Bubblenest Smell | Modern Aquarium | Greater City Aquarium Society |
| 27 | Best Cartoon | Honorable Mention | Robert Kulesa | Is that a fence being built over there? (June 2006) | Tank Tales | Aquarium Club of Lancaster County |
| 28 | Best Continuing Column, Single Author | 1st Place | Sharon Barnett | Mermaid Tales | Modern Aquarium | Greater City Aquarium Society |
| 28 | Best Continuing Column, Single Author | 2nd Place | Bernard Harrigan | Seahorse Chronicles | Modern Aquarium | Greater City Aquarium Society |
| 28 | Best Continuing Column, Single Author | 3rd Place | Dennis Heltzel | The Fish Files | Tank Tales | Aquarium Club of Lancaster County |
| 29 | Best Article, All Other Categories (506K PDF) |
1st Place | Pat Smith | Here's to You, Steve | Pisces Press | Nassau County Aquarium Society |
| 29 | Best Article, All Other Categories | 2nd Place | Ray Suydam | A Final Word from an Ex-President | Paradise Press | Long Island Aquarium Society |
| 29 | Best Article, All Other Categories | 3rd Place | Robert Kulesa | Lists and Things Remembered | Tank Tales | Aquarium Club of Lancaster County |
| 30 | Author of the Year | 1st Place | Bernard Harrigan | Modern Aquarium | Greater City Aquarium Society | |
| 30 | Author of the Year | 2nd Place | Pat Smith | Pisces Press | Nassau County Aquarium Society | |
| 30 | Author of the Year | 3rd Place | Sharon Barnett | Modern Aquarium | Greater City Aquarium Society |
About the Judging Process
This year's entries weighed over 25 pounds and took up an entire filing box. Rick, Sharon and Sam Borstein were the 2006 judges. The Borstein's home club did not participate this year which allowed them to judge all of the categories.
A few tips for future entrants:
- Enter the right category
Some societies entered articles in the wrong category. For example, category 11, Best Article on a Genus of Fish, contained a few entries that were species specific. A genus refers to the grouping of species within it. Similarly, we had a very funny article entered in Category 29 (All other categories) that might have placed if it had been in Best Humorous Article category.
- Write a Good, Catchy Introductory Paragraph
We read several articles that were very good technically, but were laborious to read. A good introductory paragraph answers the question "Why should I care?"
- Theoretical vs Practical
Some articles submitted were good overviews of plants or fish species, but lacked practical "how to keep them" information written from the perspective of the author.
- Diminishing Returns
Articles should be written prose. Submitting a BAP Recap which is solely a list, isn't likely to win.
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