COVID-19, the disease caused by new corona (SARS-CoV-2) virus is currently affecting the entire world.
Therefore, right now it isn’t possible for hobbyists to physically meet each other at Betta Shows and aquarium-related events to exchange fish, information, and to simply have a good time together.
During this time, we want to reach out to you in order to give you the opportunity to show your fish in a virtual environment: The 1st Virtual Bettas4all Show!
At the Virtual Bettas4all Show, fish are judged via video entries on vitality, colour, finnage, bodyshape and overall appearance, by a team of experienced judges according to the Bettas4all Standard©.
It’s clear that judging fish from a video by no means can be compared to watching fish live at a show, but in these times, it is the best thing we can offer the Betta community in Europe.
At the Virtual Bettas4all Show, hobbyists from all over Europe (all countries belonging geographical or political under any of the various common definitions of Europe) are allowed to enter their fish.
Hobbyists can enter their fish in the (1) Regular show classes (self-bred fish currently swimming in the fishroom; based on a matter of trust) or (2) Purchased show classes (purchased fish can be entered by hobbyists who have never showed Bettas at any show before).
The show will be judged by a certified Bettas4all judge, who will do their uttermost best to determine the winners of the various showclasses, as well as the special awards.
How to participate
Participation is free. Online registration and Virtual benching is possible from Monday April 20, 2020 to Sunday May 3, 2020 (midnight).
Information on the minimum requirements of the videos, how to register and upload videos, and judging procedures can be found under General information Virtual Bettas4all Show.
After the judging procedure has finished, a video of all entries (in order of virtual tank number) will be published per show class in the public domain. This way everybody can get an impression of the number of entries and quality of the fish/videos per show class.
Now, the big question remains — what can you win? When a fish places in any of the showclasses, the participant who entered the fish will receive a unique digital show certificate and lifelong honour!
The Bettas4all Community
The roots of our community lie with the Bettas4all forum which was founded in order to bring Betta hobbyists together from all over the world. In 2016, our community was moved to Facebook and the Bettas4all Facebook Group has grown into an international community where hobbyists from all over the world share their knowledge and experience with respect to the keeping, breeding, maintaining and showing of (show) bettas.
In order to maintain this atmosphere and information of high quality, the forum and Facebook group are managed and supervised by an international team of dedicated and experienced hobbyists.
In order is to promote vital, healthy, balanced show bettas we developed our own show standard in 2010, the Bettas4all Standard©. Condition, deportment, overall balance, form of body and finnage, and colour are important aspects which are incorporated into the standard.
Because the perfect fish doesn’t exist, we have developed three-dimensional models to visualise the ideal shape, balance, dimensions, and proportions of the different finnage varieties.
Since 2010, the Bettas4all community annually organises the Holland Betta Show which has grown into one of the biggest Betta shows of Europe. Further, we collaborate with friends from other hobbyist groups in Europe such as the Betta Freaks and the German Betta Contest in Germany and the National Betta Show in the United Kingdom.
We are looking forward to your participation and support!
The Virtual Bettas4all Show Team
