So, how does this actually work?

Below are some examples:

A. A 71cm flathead would earn 71 points, but would be easily beaten by a 40cm (fork length) yellowfin whiting, worth a cool 89 points!

B. An 86 cm (fork length) snapper would be worth 91 points, just pipping a 65cm (fork length) Australian salmon, worth 87 points.

C. A 61cm (fork length) trout would earn its captor 87 points, very narrowly topping a 108cm Murray cod worth 86 points.

D. A massive 168cm (fork length) Spanish mackerel would be worth an impressive 105 points, but would be beaten by a whopping 90cm (fork length) tailor at 113 points!

But here’s where it gets really interesting… Because we’re rewarding versatility! This competition favours those entrants who can catch multiple species in a particular region. For example, someone who enters a 32cm bream, a 31cm yellowfin whiting and a 44cm flathead in the South Eastern Seaboard division will score a combined total of 184 points, most likely beating any single fish entry, no matter how large! As you can see, catching more than one species from each region greatly increases your chances of winning.

Okay, here’s a simple point-form recap of all the important stuff. After you check it out, PLEASE take a moment to read the terms and conditions below, as your participation in the event implies complete acceptance of, and compliance with, ALL of these Terms, Conditions and Rules. Thanks!

ROLL OVER OR CLICK THE IMAGES TO  READ INSTRUCTIONS ON CORRECT MEASURING

TERMS & CONDITIONS

1. Participation in Fishotopia’s Great Aussie Fishing Dash (hereafter referred to as “The Competition”) implies complete acceptance of, and compliance with, ALL Terms, Conditions and Rules as set out here.
2. The Competition is open to all current financial members of Starlo’s Inner Circle, including monthly and annual subscribers, as well as those who received their membership as prizes or gifts. Membership must be valid and current at the commencement The Competition.
3. The Competition is conducted by Fishotopia, a registered business owned and operated by River & Sea Pty Ltd. Steve and Jo Starling (co-founders of Fishotopia and directors of River & Sea Pty Ltd) and their immediate family members shall NOT be eligible to enter or compete in The Competition.
4. The Competition will take place on Sunday, 1 December, 2019. Fishing may commence at midnight on Saturday, 30 November (00:00 01/12/19) and all entries must be uploaded to The Clubhouse Wall (“The Wall”) of Fishotopia’s Inner Circle by midnight on Sunday, 1 December (00:00 02/12/19). (NB: All times specified are Australian Eastern Summer Time [AEST].)
5. If, for any reason, a competitor is unable to upload an entry or entries directly to The Wall, they may email them to admin@fishotopia.com.au as a last resort. If such emailed entries are received by the organisers before midnight (AEST) on Sunday, 1 December, 2019 they MAY be accepted and uploaded to The Wall by the organisers (at their discretion). However, competitors should make every effort to directly upload their entries to The Wall (taking note of the maximum image size of 3MB).
6. The aim of The Competition is to catch, measure and photograph (on an acceptable, intact, commercially-produced measuring mat) legal length fish of the designated species, with the relevant code and/or object specified in advance of the start time clearly displayed in every photo.
7. Each competitor may upload ONE image of each eligible species from any designated region onto The Clubhouse Wall of Fishotopia’s Inner Circle before midnight on the day of The Competition. Once an entrant’s first entry is uploaded, they may only submit further entries from the same region. You cannot compete in multiple regions. (See The Competition Rules for more details.)
8. Each entry (an eligible species of a legal size from a designated region caught in compliance with local regulations) should comprise a single post/upload to the wall or single email to the organisers. Please: NO multiple entries or multiple species in a single post/upload or email! In the event of a competitor including multiple images/entries in a single post/upload or email, only ONE of those entries will be considered, at the discretion of The Competition organisers. The organisers’ decisions are final and binding.
9. There is no limit to how many eligible species each member may upload an image of during the 24 hours of The Competition. (See The Competition Rules for more details.) However, only ONE entry for each eligible species from a particular region may be uploaded, and only fish exceeding the minimum legal length in the jurisdiction where they were caught will be considered. In the event of a competitor uploading multiple images of the same species from one region, only the FIRST image uploaded will be considered.
10. All competitors implicitly grant permission to Fishotopia and River & Sea Pty Ltd to edit, reproduce, sell, copyright, exhibit, broadcast or distribute, in any way they deem fit, all or any media uploaded to The Wall, without attribution, consultation, payment or compensation, in perpetuity.
11. Competitors must clearly display the code or designated object for The Competition in their catch images (entries), which also need to show the fish’s nose (mouth closed) against the zero mark on the measuring mat, and a clear representation of the fish’s total length, with no distortion or manipulation of any part of the fish. (Note that the maximum image size for posts is 3MB.)
12. Lengths recorded shall be to the outer tail edge for species with straight or convex tail margins, and to the fork of the tail for those with forked, crescent or concave margins.
13. Uploaded images that are unclear, distorted, blurred, obscured or otherwise not able to be easily interpreted by the organisers; which are suspected of having been digitally manipulated; or which do not include The Competition code/designated object, will be deemed ineligible. NB: The code or designated object for The Competition will be announced on The Wall shortly before midnight on 30 November, 2019 (AEST).
14. Entrants should state the species, the designated region where it was caught and their personal assessment of its length (in centimetres, rounded up or down to the closest full centimetre) as part of each posted entry to The Wall (or email to the organisers). However, The Competition organisers reserve the right to adjust the length recorded (and the points thus awarded) based on their visual interpretation of the image supplied. The Competition organisers’ decision is final and binding.
15. While Fishotopia supports and encourages catch and release, fish may be retained by their captors where it is legal to do so. However, fish must be whole, intact and preferably alive when photographed on the measuring mat. Mutilated, damaged, gutted, gilled, frozen or otherwise degraded fish will NOT be considered eligible.
16. In addition to their official entries (a maximum of ONE of each eligible species from each designated region per angler), entrants are encouraged to post images on The Wall of themselves or others holding fish, releasing fish, fishing or otherwise participating during The Competition. The organisers may, at their discretion, choose to award a prize or prizes to members based on their assessment of these images.
17. All fish caught during The Competition must be taken on rod and reel or handline, in strict compliance with fisheries’ rules and regulations in the jurisdiction where the entrant is fishing at the time. It is incumbent upon ALL competitors to comply with their local regulations, and to ensure they hold any necessary licences or permits.
18. Only fish taken legally on hook and line from publicly accessible waterways are eligible. This excludes private waters, farm dams, hatcheries, fish-out ponds and any sanctuary zones or any waters where fishing is expressly prohibited.
19. Fishotopia and The Competition organisers reserve the right to remove any posts from The Clubhouse Wall at any time, and to disregard or exclude entries in The Competition that do not fully comply with all the rules, terms or conditions: stated or implied.
20. All decisions of Fishotopia and The Competition organisers are final and binding. No dialogue or negotiation will be entered into concerning the conduct or results of The Competition, or the subsequent awarding of prizes.
21. Prizes will be awarded in each region based on the entrant with the highest combined point score in that region. The scoring system is described in detail in The Competition Rules.
22. In the event of a tie in any region, the member who uploaded his or her FIRST entry to The Wall earliest on the day of The Competition will be declared the winner. NB: Any entries received via email will be deemed to have been received at 00:00 on Monday 2 December, regardless of when they were actually sent or received.
23. All participants, entrants and competitors in The Competition expressly acknowledge that fishing, boating and other outdoor pusuits are potentially dangerous activities and they accept FULL responsibility for their own safety, wellbeing and actions, thereby releasing Fishotopia, River & Sea Pty Ltd and the organisers from any responsibility or liability whatsoever for loss, injury, damage to person, damage to property or otherwise in relation to The Competition. Participation in The Competition implies complete acceptance of all Terms, Conditions and Rules.
24. Winners will be announced in the Fishotopian newsletter issued on the evening of Tuesday, 3 December, 2019 and posted on The Wall and the Starlo’s Fishotopia page on Facebook at about the same time. No dialogue or negotiation will be entered into concerning the conduct or results of The Competition.
25. Prizes will be despatched to regional winners before Christmas, 2019. In the event of a prize for a particular category or region not being won or awarded, The Competition organisers reserve the right to either hold that prize over for a future event, return it to the sponsors, or award it to a participant of their choice, based on judging criteria completely at the discretion of the organisers. No dialogue or negotiation will be entered into concerning the conduct or results of The Competition.