Best Pondless Water Feature

This award recognizes an exceptional pondless water feature that combines creative design, natural beauty, outstanding craftsmanship, and reliable performance without incorporating a permanent open pond. The feature should integrate seamlessly into its surroundings and use water movement, stonework, plantings, sound, and elevation to create a compelling experience.

Eligibility Requirements

• The entry must be a completed pondless water feature designed and constructed by a professional pond builder or company.
• The project must have been substantially completed within the award program’s eligible timeframe—between Nov. 1, 2025 and Nov. 1, 2026 for the 2026 awards. 
• The feature must operate through a concealed recirculating reservoir or basin without a permanent, exposed body of water.
• Eligible projects may include, but are not limited to:
  • Pondless waterfalls
  • Recirculating streams
  • Disappearing waterfalls
  • Cascades
  • Bubbling rocks or urn features
  • Spillway bowls
  • Formal spillways
  • Water walls
  • Fountains/Fountainscapes
  • Features combining multiple pondless water elements
• Projects incorporating a permanent pond should be entered in the appropriate pond category.
• The project should demonstrate intentional design through elements such as, but not limited to:
  • Natural or visually compelling water movement
  • Thoughtful stone and material placement
  • Concealed liners, reservoirs, plumbing, and mechanical components
  • Effective use of elevation, sound, and viewing angles
  • Integration with the existing landscape and architecture
  • Appropriate scale and proportion
  • Thoughtful planting (if applicable) and/or finishing details
  • Reliable circulation and splash containment
  • Innovation and creativity for the space
  • Formal pondless water features include thoughtful integration of concrete, retaining walls, metal (and other materials). Includes clean lines and uniform design
• Manufacturer names, company branding, logos, and watermarks must not appear in the judged materials.

Submission Materials

Applicants should provide:

• A project narrative explaining:
  • The client’s goals for the water feature.
  • How the feature was designed to complement the property.
  • The materials and construction techniques used.
  • How water movement, sound, stonework, plantings, and elevation were incorporated.
  • How the reservoir and mechanical components were concealed.
  • Any site, design, construction, or technical challenges that were addressed.
  • What makes the feature award-worthy.
• Four to six high-quality photographs, including:
  • At least one image showing the entire completed feature.
  • Images showing the water’s source, movement, and termination point.
  • Detailed images of the stonework, transitions, plantings, and finishing work.
  • Optional before and construction photographs.
  • Seasonal or matured photographs, if available.
• One optional unbranded video demonstrating water movement and sound.
• Optional drone photography when it helps judges understand the feature’s relationship to the overall property.

The deadline to submit entries for the 2026 Water Artisan of the Year Awards is Dec. 1, 2026.

Defining an Exceptional Pondless Water Feature

An exceptional pondless water feature should feel intentional, cohesive, and appropriate for its setting. Whether naturalistic or architecturally styled, it should use water movement, sound, materials, plantings, and/or elevation to create an engaging focal point.

The strongest entries will conceal the mechanics of the system, manage water and splash effectively, and demonstrate excellent construction and reliable performance.

Best Pondless Water Feature Rubric

Guiding Judge Question

Does this pondless water feature transform its setting through exceptional design, water movement, craftsmanship, and landscape integration while remaining functional and reliable?

Category	Points	What Judges Look For
Design & Landscape Integration	20	How successfully the feature’s location, scale, elevation, viewing angles, and overall style complement the property. Judges consider how naturally or intentionally the feature begins and moves through the space
Water Movement, Flow	20	The quality and variety of waterfalls, streams, cascades, and changes in elevation. Water should move in a way that contributes to the intended experience.
Stonework, Edges & Transitions	20	Thoughtful stone placement, designed elements, stable construction, liner concealment, and realistic or intentional transitions at the feature’s source, streambed, waterfalls, and termination point.
Craftsmanship, Design & Functionality	20	Construction quality, hydraulics, structural integrity, finish quality, maintainability, and fulfillment of the client’s intended use.
Creativity & Overall Visual Impact	20	Originality, use of the available space, fulfillment of the client’s goals, cohesiveness, maturity, presentation, and the feature’s ability to create a memorable visual and sensory impression.
Total	100