The general rules are below. You accumulate your own points toward different levels of mastery, to have a chance at the Breeder of the Year Award!

Any member of our club breeding fish can, and should, participate.

Section I: General Rules

An entrant must be a paid-up member in good standing of the Nassau County Aquarium Society.
The fish must be the breeder’s own fish, spawned by him/herself at his /her home.
Points are assigned to individuals only, not families.
Once points are gained, they are never lost.
Upon entry to the Breeder’s Award Program (BAP), the breeder must identify himself/herself as either a general breeder or a specialist.
Points totals will be printed periodically in the Pisces Press, at the discretion of the BAP Chairman. (BAPC).
Decisions of the BAPC are final.
BAP Committee will consist of the chairman and at least one other member in good standing, appointed by the President and confirmed by the Board of Directors.
The BAP Committee will serve a minimum of one year, after which they are reaffirmed, replaced, etc.
A short form, (fig. 2), should be used by the participating member to report spawns. Verbal notification may be made with the BAPC completing the form.
The BAPC will complete the records for the participating members by entering all spawns onto the Breeders Award summary sheet.

Section II: Points Award

Breeding points are found in Section III. This list will be continually updated. Any species not listed will be assigned a value by the BAPC. Points are awarded once to each subspecies and variety.
Breeding points are awarded to fish as follows:
- 50% after evidence of breeding (All spawns should be registered within 7(seven) days of birth)
- 50% after evidence that at least 10% of the fry is raised to a juvenile stage. (60 days)
- At least 10 fry should be brought to the meeting to be displayed after 60 days.
- Five additional points may be awarded for fish donated to the monthly auction. (Points may only be given once for each type of fish spawned)
5 Bonus Points for a written article are awarded to a breeder who writes an article on the subject of the fish recently bred and the article is accepted and printed in the Pisces Press. The awarding of additional points for a published article in the Pisces Press will apply to BAP articles only. No points will be awarded for articles reprinted or initially printed in any other publication.
Line Maintenance Points may be awarded for a category of fish, species, or subspecies, no more than once a year. Fish should be young of fish already bred and recorded in BAP. Points are awarded from the fish points schedule.

There will be five levels of achievement.

Novice: A total of 25 BAP points from any or all classes shown in Section III.
Advanced Breeder: A total of 50 points, of which not more than 35 points are from Class A. The balance may be from any or all other classes B through F.
Senior Breeder: A total of 150 points, not more than 50 of which are from Class A.
The remainder may be from any or all of the other classes B through F.
Master Breeder: A total of 300 points, not more than 100 of which may be from Class A. The balance may be from any or all other classes B through F.
Senior Master Breeder: A total of 600 points not more than 200 of which may come from Class A. A minimum of 100 points must come from Classes C, D, E, or F.

All points will be generated from one class of fish (species, subspecies, and varieties).
Achievement requirements of the General Category do not apply, all other rules regarding spawn notification remain in effect.
5 Bonus Points will be awarded when the breeder writes an article on the fish recently bred and the article is accepted and printed in the Pisces Press. Articles must pertain to BAP, and not be reprinted or initially printed in any other publication. Not more than one article on the same fish may be submitted within a 12-month period.
The keys to determining levels of specialty points are:
- Breeding points from Section III.
- Specialist Class Entrants must represent different genera, varieties, or families.
There will be five levels of achievement for the specialty class:
- Novice: A total of 25 points, representing at least three different varieties.
- Advanced Breeder: A total of 50 points, representing at least five different varieties.
- Senior Breeder: A total of 125 points, representing at least ten different varieties or related species.
- Master Breeder: A total of 250 points, representing at least fifteen different varieties or related species.
- Senior Master Breeder: A total of 500 points, at least twenty-five different varieties or related species.

Level A – 5 Points

Level B – 10 Points

Level C – 15 Points

Level D – 20 Points

Level E (extremely difficult) – 30 Points

Level F (rare or not bred fish) – 50 Points

The Breeder’s Award Program Chairman will maintain the record for the BAP on the Summary sheet for each member.
It is the responsibility of the participating member to submit a Notification of Spawn for each fish spawned.
Participating members must contact one of the BAP Committee directly to evaluate each new spawn.