Jury

The ITAC jury is composed of professional and experienced Aquascapers with a long career. They have experience in aquariums, aquatic plant cultivation and photography.
Read the Rules to observe the evaluation criteria they will observe.


DIEGO MARINELLI, Italy

Aquascaper and professional photographer. Always attracted by the immense beauty of nature and the charm of its forms of expression, he has found in aquascaping the best way to bring its spirit and harmony into a domestic environment.

Over the years he has participated in various international competitions, obtaining important awards, organized workshops, participated in sector events, collaborated with companies and magazines and shared experiences with enthusiasts from all over the world.

In addition to consulting and project development for companies and individuals, he currently serves as a judge in major international competitions, including ITAC, where he is a founder and board directors.


AUGUSTO VENERUSO, Italy

A lover of nature in all its forms, in 2010 he approached aquascaping after appreciating the composition of plants and natural furnishings. In 2016 he began his professional career thanks to the collaboration with some companies.

The continuous search for nature in its profound essentiality has pushed him to deepen his interest by studying Japanese culture in its forms of artistic representation and the beauty of nature.

His background as a photographer has been useful to best represent his works, focusing attention on details capable of transmitting naturalness.

In his career he has collaborated with international companies and created workshops on the national territory, and he also deals with consultancy and creation of layouts for private individuals.

Today he is an aquascaping judge and is part of the founders and board of directors of ITAC.


ENRICO FORTUNA, Italy

Passionate about aquascaping in 2003, the observation and study of plants, materials for scape, chemistry and biology of aquariums, in 2007 he began his journey as an aquascaper and in 2010 he participated in several competitions obtaining excellent results.

Enthusiastic about the idea of ​​spreading and sharing the passion for aquascaping, over the years he has tried his hand at various collaborations with companies, live, workshops and events.

Over time he has increasingly specialized in the creation of nano aquariums, until the creation of the NANO CUBE AQUATIC project, linked to small tanks with minimal management without the aid of co2 and filtering.

A member and founder of ITAU, he dedicates himself together with the other members to the creation and diffusion of the world of aquascaping.

Since 2023 he has become a judge of ITAC.


WILLIAM FANTINI, Italy

His passion for aquariums began as a child when he was immediately fascinated by his first aquarium.

Study and passion took him to 2016 where it was the turning point because he discovered aquascaping, which totally changed his life, opening the doors to a new world, vast and wonderful, a combination of techniques, able to recreate a corner of nature in perfect harmony between 5 sheets of glass.

Aquascaping fueled his passion by making him dedicate himself entirely to this discipline.

Currently, its main purpose is to spread the art of aquascaping through socials, trade fairs and workshops.

He firmly believes that aquascaping, in addition to being an artistic discipline that combines nature with the art of photography and sculpture, must also be a vehicle to unite and bring people around the world together.

Today he is an aquascaping judge and is part of the founders and board of directors of ITAC.


JUAN PUCHADES RUFINO, Spain

From his first aquascape to now, 15 years have passed.

From a simple hobby to part of his life, aquascaping has given him great teachers and friends.

Competitions have been his focus in recent years, and he has managed to achieve all his goals, also for this reason, he understood that he was really lucky to choose aquascaping as a hobby, because it makes him feel free in the phase of setting up and creating.

He currently focuses on evaluating aquascaping contests and organizing workshops and conferences around the world.


MARINO VARETTO, Italy

He has always been an aquarist, ever since his father allowed him to "put his hands in the water" at the age of seven in his home aquariums. During his studies, he worked in an aquarium shop in Turin, learning and collaborating with some of the most well-known precursors of aquarium hobby in Italy. Always passionate about the cultivation of aquatic plants and breeding, at the end of the eighties, struck by the ideas of Sensei Takashi Amano, he actively dedicated himself to Aquascaping by participating in many workshops, meetings in various shops, fairs and salons in Italy. Author of many articles written for forums, portals and FB groups, participating in various international contests with his works on natural aquariums.


JAE-SUN CHO, Korea

Born in Korea, graduated in fine arts.

Initially he worked as an installation artist, but in 2014 he was fascinated by aquascaping and since then he devoted himself exclusively to it.

In 2019 he founded the KOREA AQUASCAPE ASSOCIATION (KAA), also serving as president and director of the KIAC.

He played the role of judge for several contests including KIAC, AQSC and AGA and this year will join the panel of judges of ITAC.


FREDERIC FUSS, Germany

The art of aquascaping has totally changed his life allowing him to work as a professional aquarium designer for 8 years.

He is not a particularly competitive aquascaper and feels more comfortable evaluating the work of others, which is why he has served on many juries in the past and tried very hard to do justice to the work done.

He also has the aim of promoting aquariums in his own way and trying to bring different people together.
He firmly believes that together we can achieve much more and enjoy this hobby more.


HOOTAN MAFTOONIAN, Iran

A veterinarian by profession, he has a deep love for art and has worked in various artistic fields for over twenty years, specializing in sculpture and carving.

In 2016, he specialized in aquascaping, drawing inspiration from the works of masters such as Takashi Amano and Takayuki Fukuda.

Over the years, he has been fortunate to receive recognition and honors for his creations in this hobby. He has had the privilege of participating in numerous prestigious aquascaping events around the world, where he has had the opportunity to meet and befriend esteemed masters in the field.

He firmly believes that aquascaping fosters a powerful synergy between people on a global level.