POND Trade magazine has selected an esteemed panel of six industry experts to judge entries in our 2022 Water Artisans of the Year Contest. With the December 15, 2022 deadline approaching, it’s time to select your best photos and projects to enter.
Known informally as the “Supreme Stream Court,” this year’s judges represent a true cross section of the industry, featuring a past winner, master pond builders, a wholesale distributor and koi farmer. “Our judges take their role seriously,” says POND Trade publisher, Lora Lee Gelles. “For this year’s contest, they will review the blind entries and select a winner and runner-up in each of five categories: (Pondless, Most Naturalistic, Water Feature Under $20,000, and Rock Artisan).”
Tim Wood, a Water Artisan of the Year Award recipient in 2016, 2016 and 2021 will give up an opportunity to be the only 4-time winner of the contest, and instead offer us his expertise as judge. Known for his naturally-inspired designs, Tim is a Master Certified Aquascape contractor and founder of Aquatic Edge, a full-service water garden design, repair and installation company serving Western Pennsylvania.
As someone who raises and supplies koi throughout the United States and Canada, Ellen Kloubec knows the pond industry inside and out. Together with her husband and son she operates Kloubec Koi Farm, one of the largest and most trusted koi farms in the United States.
Steve Sandalis, owner of Mystic Water Gardens, is a Master Certified Aquascape Contractor with more than 17 years of experience creating innovative and eco-friendly water gardens in the Los Angeles area. In crafting designs for some of the biggest names in Hollywood, Steve gets inspiration from his travels to national parks and tropical islands.
Chad Smith is the owner/operator of WIM Supply, formerly known as Water in Motion, a wholesale distributor located in Houston, Texas. The company provides both expertise and high-quality landscape lighting, outdoor sound equipment and pond and water feature installation products, to landscapers and pond contractors. Since he built his first water feature in 1998, ponds have been his favorite part of any landscape project.
Known for his artistic ponds, Larry Carnes is the president of Reflections Water Gardens in West Dundee, Ill., where he specializes in high-end residential and commercial projects with naturalistic watershaping. Larry is a student of Genesis 3 and Anthony Archer-Wills, one of the most foremost authorities in designing natural looking ponds and water features.
Chris Hanson is head foreman at Aquascape, the largest water feature design and installation company in the world, based in Chicagoland. Chris takes a holistic approach to water feature design, using his landscape background to ensure the water and surrounding landscape interact perfectly with each other.
For more information and to enter your best projects of the year, visit https://www.pondtrademag.com/entry-form-2022-water-artisans-of-the-year-awards-2/
A $25 fee is required with each entry, with all proceeds benefiting St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. Eligible projects must be completed between Nov. 1, 2021 and Nov. 15, 2022. Contractors may submit as many entries as they would like; however, each project may only be submitted in one category. Winners will be featured in the March/April 2023 issue of POND Trade magazine.
