As in previous years, the 2021 “Supreme Stream Court” blindly evaluated submissions in five distinct categories. In order to be considered eligible, projects must have been completed between Nov. 1, 2020 and Nov. 1, 2021. We were happy to accept multiple entries from the same contractor; however, each project could only be submitted in one category for consideration.
The judges who served on this year’s panel, in alphabetical order, were:
After 14 years as the managing member of his own sales company, Paul Amos accepted a position as a sales representative with Kasco Marine Inc. Since 1992, Paul has sold, assisted in design and installed liners and aeration for residential ponds, golf course lakes, parks and recreation features, and water and wastewater treatment facilities.
Eric Arnston, Stonebridge Pond and Waterfall Company, won in the Best Under $15,000 category in 2020 contest. He started his design-build landscape business in Austin, Texas, in 2003 and eventually followed his intuition to focus solely on water features. Arnston is an artist at heart who enjoys using natural elements to their fullest potential while building water features for the whole family to enjoy.
James Chubb, has focused on doing water features for the green industry for the past 22 years. Having worked at the distributor level in sales and education and at the manufacture level in sales and education, he is currently working for Atlantic-OASE as the director of product training and systems.
Tim Dille took home the 2020 award for Best Pondless feature. He is the lead designer and installation foreman at Garden State Koi, a full-service retail, maintenance, installation and wholesale pond store in Warwick, New York. Dille has been installing ponds, streams and waterfalls for more than 15 years, with more than 500 water features in the ground.
Brian Helfrich is the vice president of construction at Aquascape Inc. He has designed and installed thousands of water features around the world and has trained hundreds of contractors across the country on the technical and artistic aspects of pond building. Helfrich’s portfolio includes projects at Orlando’s EPCOT International Flower and Garden Show and Chicago’s Lincoln Park Zoo.
Russell Owen won in 2020 in the Fountains and Formal Features category. He started Anything Wet, a full-service pond company, in August 2004. As a member of Aquascape Australia’s mentoring program, he assists new and beginning pond builders in creating natural, ecofriendly ponds and water features.
John Schwarzlose, the 2020 winner for Most Naturalistic, is the owner of Freshwater Ecosystems in Texas Hill Country. He has a passion for designing and building water features that are indistinguishable from mother nature. Schwarzlose’s company provides unique, naturalistic designs for ponds, creeks and waterfalls.
