Editor's Letter

At the Niche Nail Network trade event on 14 April, I was asked, while taking part in a panel session in front of an audience, ‘How is Scratch committed to amplifying the work of nail professionals?’. The timing couldn’t have been more poignant, as the following day, we unveiled 90 finalists in the Scratch Stars Awards. We launched this event in 2009 to champion the UK&I nail industry and boost recognition of nail pros, educators, salons and businesses, and this year’s finalists, who are profiled from page 40, have demonstrated incredible skill, passion, initiative and customer care.

The awards process has been designed to elevate profiles across all facets of the sector, and reward those who are maintaining high standards in their work. Alongside the event’s promotional opportunities, we support finalists with editorial features and highlight their prowess to brands, companies and the wider media for many years to come.

Scratch’s goals are to inspire, inform, educate and engage the professional nail community, so within every magazine issue you’ll find profiles of techs and salon owners, and plenty of photos of nail work that are always credited to their creators. On page 72, we’ve even interviewed the very person that interviewed me at Niche Nail Network: Alex Philamond; manicurist & content creator, in our commitment to supporting industry talent.

In the social and digital realm, we spotlight techs, salons and influential industry figures via web features, live video discussions and by reposting their work – always with a tag and credit. It’s imperative that your hard work, and the time and energy you put into building your skills and your business, is recognised in order to support further success. We also host fortnightly and monthly social media challenges, which encourage you to create a nail design to be featured across our platforms.

As your industry magazine, we present information and opportunities to support your growth, but ultimately, it’s down to you to decide how you want to embrace them. We hope to see even more of you entering our competitions and awards in the future, and don’t hestitate to reach out to find out how you can boost your profile via Scratch.

The team looks forward to hearing from you!

Until next month,

Helena Biggs

Editorial & partnerships director +44(0)1959 547 000 helena.biggs@scratchmagazine.co.uk

This month, Scratch celebrates its 21st birthday and 20 years of Nailympia Competitions with two front covers, courtesy of:

Nail artist: Melinda Tamás @tamasmela

Photographer: Jozsef Balogh

Model: Agnes Koltai

Make-up artist: Lívia Rideg

Retoucher: Anna Petrovas

Nail artist: Èva Pásztornè Balog @evaprofessionalnails

Photographer: Zsolt Kőszegi

Model: Kitty Kovács

Make-up artist: Ivett Orosz

Read all about the creative process on page 18.

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