NAILYMPIA COMPETITIONS NEWS

Immerse in competition highlights, interviews & points to note from the Nailympia realm, with its global director, ALEX FOX

years of Nailympia 2005-2024

Competition updates & rule changes

The rules for the Salon Nails, Gel Tip & Overlay, Acrylic Sculpture and Stiletto Nails categories at Nailympia have been given a mini makeover. This fine-tuning will be put into place for the last two Nailympia locations for 2024: San Antonio and London. Since Nailympia’s expansion across the globe, there has been some confusion over the regulations, and questions relating to how judges and competitors interpret the rules, so the updates will help to streamline each contest.

The word ‘consistency’ has become confusing, therefore the Nailympia team has decided to give stronger guidance on the style and length of nails in these categories, to help competitors craft their nails. Under the expert eyes of four of the most qualified judges in the nail industry: Stefanie Lo Re, David Fowler, Zrinka Vuksan and Vitaly Solomonoff, hours have been spent writing more detailed rules and score sheets, and illustrations have been created to aid understanding.

With such depth of explanation in the rules, there will be a standard to follow, and judges will no longer be giving feedback after any Nailympia, unless asked at each event while the model is still wearing the nails. Judges are unable to offer valuable feedback on nails they can’t see or via photographs, which don’t provide enough information for a detailed appraisal.

An example of the guidance that will be given for the Acrylic Sculpture, Acrylic Tip & Overlay, UV Gel Sculpture and UV Gel Tip & Overlay competitions:

NEW FOR 2025

With changes being made to the competitions in San Antonio and London, the team has seized the opportunity to update the Nailympia competition listing for 2025. This means that all competitors and judges will be required to read the rules carefully. Seasoned competitors must not assume any rules, as many elements have been tweaked and polished for 2025 to make the entire Nailympia experience seamless.

Next year, there will be more complete and concise judges’ direction and guidance, courtesy of long-time competition organiser & judge, Vitaly Solomonoff. All judges will be sent this guidance before each Nailympia event, and it can be downloaded by competitors via the Nailympia website.

The Nailympia Hall of Fame

Nailympia will publish a Hall of Fame for competitors that take three trophies in the Global Cup, Euro Cup, Americas Cup and Premiere Cup. If three trophies of the same name are awarded to an individual, this person will automatically no longer qualify for the trophy and will enter into the Nailympia Hall of Fame.

THE BENEFITS OF COMPETING AT NAILYMPIA LONDON

13-14 October 2024 at Salon Beauty, ExCel, London

• Nailympia London is the perfect place to showcase your talent. As the ‘home location’, the London event is the pinnacle of the Nailympia calendar, where the winners of the Global Cup and Euro Cup are announced.

• Compete in the London location this year, and celebrate our 20th event, with fun touch points around the arena for 2024 only.

• Meet and network with fellow nail professionals from around the world, some of whom have competed for many years.

• Be blind judged by our panel of industry-leading judges, and receive helpful score sheets within two weeks to give greater insight into your performance.

• Attend the Nailympia London awards ceremony, and if you win, you’ll receive your trophies and certificates in person on the awards stage.

• Receive a goody bag featuring sponsor gifts and goodies, and a certificate of participation upon entering the arena.

• Add a photo of yourself when you enter, and appear on the Nailympia website’s Wall of Fame.

• Enjoy the Salon Beauty show and explore product launches and education opportunities when you’re not competing.

• Receive a digital participation and/or winner’s badge to add to your social channels, website and emails.

The closing date to register for the nine Nailympia London arena categories is 27 September.

“Nailympia London is the perfect place to showcase your talent. As the ‘home location’, the London event is the pinnacle of the Nailympia calendar.”

HOT PICK!

A new page has been added to the Nailympiawebsite, featuring profiles of judges from across the globe. Profiles are being added every week, so visit regularly to learn about the experts behind the curtains, behind-the-scenes and on the arena floors. Scan here to view