Each team will be given a working budget to spend at any of the pre-approved sponsors and may use their budget in any combination to acquire the materials they need. No outside materials will be allowed, and equipment must be used as provided without modification (with the exception of filter media, should contestants wish to use alternative media options). Outside materials include items such as botanicals, plants, or other detail materials like accent stone or sand which would need to be purchased with the team’s budget to be used. Each team’s final material selections will be provided to the Contest Chair, who will then place orders with the vendors to ensure parity for all participants. Materials will be delivered to the event directly, sorted by the committee, and placed at the corresponding biotope stations ahead of the start of the working period.

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No tools will be provided; contestants are encouraged to bring whatever they will need to work with. There will be some working materials provided to be shared by the group as needed such as paper towels, gloves, and a limited amount of glue, but contestants should be prepared and bring anything they might need to assemble their layout.

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Livestock will be sponsored and provided for outside of the materials budget and will also be coordinated through the Contest Chair. It is advisable that teams provide their wishlist for livestock and plants as soon as possible so that the sponsors can have adequate time to be able to procure the requests. If a particular requested species is unavailable, teams may have to revise their request and work with the sponsors to find something that is attainable. Livestock will be held and cared for until contestants are ready to add them to their completed layouts.

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Each biotope should be as correct in its representation as possible. All reasonable attempts should be made to use materials and plants that are accurate to the specific region, as there will be a strong points bias for accuracy. Use of livestock or plants that are inappropriate for the region will result in significant point deduction. If specific materials or plants are unable to be attained, similar regionally-found substitutions can be made.

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Judging will occur Friday evening, after the open working period has ended. The judging will be blind, and judges will be sequestered away from the contest area during the open build process (as best as possible) to ensure impartiality during the evaluation process. All team placards or other identifying materials will be removed from the stations while the judging occurs and will be replaced after the judging is completed. Results will be officially announced to the event attendees on Saturday morning.