Competition Rules
The rules for every AAW open tournament, member tournament and the Fishing Club tournament, from the AAW Australia National Competition Rulebook. The same rules apply to every angler, everywhere. Open and member tournaments are also run under the AAW Tournament Terms and Conditions, attached to each tournament in TawnyFish, and the Fishing Club under the AAW Fishing Club Terms and Conditions.
1. Who can enter
- Australian residents aged 4 and over. Residents of other countries can enter once AAW launches in their country.
- You must hold a paid entry for the tournament (or, for the Fishing Club tournament, a current club membership) when you submit a catch and when prizes are awarded.
- When entries close: each tournament’s dates and closing time are shown before entries open. Open tournaments are entered and paid in TawnyFish at full price. Member tournaments are for club members only, entered and paid on this website, where member prices apply automatically when you sign in. Only fish caught after you enter count.
- The director of Cheeky Monkey Investments Pty Ltd and anyone directly involved in running the competition may fish for enjoyment and recognition, but can’t win prizes.
| Division | Ages | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Junior | 4–12 | Linked to a parent or guardian’s account; parent or guardian present at the time of catch |
| Cadet | 13–17 | Linked to a parent or guardian’s account, with consent at sign-up |
| Open | 18–64 | |
| Veteran | 65+ |
Enter the right division for your age. Entries in the wrong division may be moved or disqualified.
2. Fishing licence
You must hold a current recreational fishing licence for the state or territory you fish in, where one is required. Your licence number and expiry are collected at registration and must be updated when you renew. Entries aren’t accepted while a required licence has expired.
3. Where you can fish
- Any Australian waters: fresh, salt or estuary.
- Catches on holiday, on a charter or during other fishing competitions count, provided every catch is photographed on the correct brag mat and has a release or dispatch video.
- Only species on the AAW Species List can be entered. Protected and no-take species must never be targeted or kept: if one on the list is caught by accident, photograph it and release it immediately on video, and it still scores.
- Pest species such as carp and tilapia count, but must be photographed on the mat and then dispatched under state law, on video, and not returned to the water.
4. How you score
Every open and member tournament is scored on points:
| Prize | How it’s decided |
|---|---|
| Most Points | Each approved fish scores 1, 2, 3 or 4 points by its size for its species, and your points from every approved fish, all species, in your division are added together. Every fish counts. |
- Fish are measured in total length (snout to tail tip) to the whole centimetre, rounded down. Billfish, sharks and rays are measured as shown on the Species List.
- Scoring doesn’t depend on harvest rules: every fish caught and released counts.
- Points sizes are set once for each species and are the same Australia-wide, under the AAW Scoring Schedule. Rays score 1 point at any size. The Fishing Club leaderboards and annual titles rank members by total points.
5. How to submit a catch
- Lay the fish flat on your brag mat and photograph it from directly above: mouth closed, snout against the stopper, tail natural and relaxed, measurements clearly visible.
- Every catch also needs a video: a release video showing the fish returned to the water (compulsory for undersize, oversize and closed-season fish, which still score), or, for a legal fish you keep, a video of it being humanely dispatched. A catch without the right video is not approved.
- Open tournaments: any brag mat, with your name clearly written on it and visible in every photo.
- Member tournaments and the Fishing Club tournament: your personalised Official AAW Brag Mat, printed with your name and member number.
- Submit through TawnyFish.app with the species and length. It records time and location automatically. Out of range? It uploads when service returns, and the photo timestamp is the official catch time.
- Photos must be original and unedited. Each fish may be submitted once only; duplicates are disqualified.
- Keep your brag mat cool and wet to protect the fish.
6. Verification
Submissions are approved, queried (24-hour response window) or rejected. Approved catches are added to results within 24 hours. Any submission can be audited at any time, including after results are published.
Grounds for disqualification include altering a fish or its measured length, a fraudulent or digitally altered photo, a catch not personally made by the entrant, a false identity or multiple accounts, entering the wrong division, breaching fishing laws, and serious misconduct. Disqualified scores are removed and any prize won on them must be returned.
7. Tie-breakers
- Most Points: the angler with the longer single fish; if still tied, the angler whose longest fish was submitted first.
- Fishing Club leaderboards and titles: more 4-point fish, then more 3-point fish, and so on; if still tied, the angler whose longest fish was submitted first. A first-place Angler of the Year or Australian Champion still tied goes to a 48-hour Fish-Off set by the Tournament Director.
8. Prizes
- Open and member tournaments: each tournament’s prizes, including any prize money, are shown before entries open. Prize money is paid by bank transfer to an Australian bank account.
- Fishing Club tournament: prizes are published before the year begins, are goods bought from our Rewards Partners and awarded at full retail value, with all costs paid by AAW; they are non-transferable and can’t be exchanged for cash.
- All catches in a winning score must be fully approved and free of any query or appeal. Prizes are sent once all disputes for that period are resolved. There’s no time limit to claim.
- Prizes for Juniors and Cadets go to their parent or guardian; age-restricted items are replaced with an age-appropriate prize of equal value.
9. Keeping fish and state fishing rules
AAW records and scores every catch, kept or released. Any fish you keep must be kept legally under the rules of the state or territory where it was caught, which the GPS location of your photo shows: size and bag limits, closed seasons, protected areas, gear and licensing. Undersize, oversize and closed-season fish must be released on video and still score points; legal fish you keep need a video of them being humanely dispatched. Competition rules and scoring are the same Australia-wide; only harvest rules differ. Check the current rules of the fisheries authority where you fish, using the links below. AAW isn’t a fisheries enforcement authority. We encourage, but don’t enforce, a voluntary 2 cm buffer above legal minimums and below legal maximums.
| State / Territory | Rules and regulations |
|---|---|
| New South Wales | NSW DPI Fisheries ↗ |
| Victoria | Victorian Fisheries Authority ↗ |
| Queensland | Fisheries Queensland ↗ |
| South Australia | PIRSA ↗ |
| Western Australia | DPIRD ↗ |
| Tasmania (sea) | NRE Tasmania ↗ |
| Tasmania (inland) | Inland Fisheries Service ↗ |
| Northern Territory | NT Fisheries ↗ |
| Australian Capital Territory | ACT Government ↗ |
10. Appeals and disputes
Appeal any decision in writing within 7 days. The Tournament Director responds within 10 business days, and that decision is final. Disputes between anglers must be in writing; anonymous complaints aren’t actioned. Use the Contact page.
11. Conduct
Harassment of any kind, including racial or sexual harassment or physical violence, towards another angler won’t be tolerated. All grievances go to the Tournament Director only. Breaches may lead to disqualification and removal.
12. Privacy
AAW collects your name, contact details, date of birth, licence details, catch submissions and payment records only to run the competition, keep leaderboards, award prizes and send results. Information about Juniors and Cadets is held only through a parent or guardian’s account. It’s never sold, and is handled under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth). Leaderboards show your display name, not your legal name. Winners’ first names and states may be published. You’ll only get receipts and results unless you opt in to marketing.
13. Game of skill and general terms
All AAW tournaments are games of skill: winners are decided solely by the points earned from the measured length of approved catches, and chance plays no part. AAW runs no draws. CM Rewards promotions are separate trade promotions under their own Draw Terms. AAW is run by Cheeky Monkey Investments Pty Ltd (ABN 66 675 658 867) trading as Amateur Anglers Worldwide. These rules are governed by the laws of Queensland and may be amended with 30 days’ notice to registered competitors by email; changes don’t apply to a tournament already underway.