SCRATCHCOLUMNIST
Nailympia COMPETITIONS NEWS
Nailympia London
2026: The results
Immerse in competition highlights, interviews & points to note from the Nailympia realm, with its global director, ALEX FOX
The
Nailympia
team at HQ in the UK closed its largest ever
Nailympia London
last month, which hosted 22 arena and online competitions. This event was the 22nd in London, and the 55th
Nailympia
since its beginning in 2005.
The 2026 edition welcomed 185 competitors from 40 countries, taking 555 seats. Entries featured sensational interpretations of themes and sheer artistic genius. We saw friendly faces, new names, fresh styles and hungry, excited artists from all four corners of the globe, and welcomed an army of international judges. For the online judging, 53 industry figures offered their expertise and 26 travelled to Professional Beauty for the live arena events.
We also saw disqualifications and point deductions issued for everything from height restrictions not followed and overuse of AI, to product use infringement – all (or most) due to not following the rules closely enough.
The
Nailympia London
2026 arena judges.
It was a mammoth but rewarding task to complete registration, judging, verification and the awards ceremony. The latter marked the end of the competition’s 2026 cycle, and the new Nailympia year will begin in Sicily later this month. It is there that the 5th European Cup champion will be announced.
8TH GLOBAL CUP CHAMPION
Francesca Paliotto – Italy – 1,996 points
DIVISION 4 – The Apex 5-shape Trophy Challenge
1st – Francesca Paliotto – Italy
2nd – Bianca Kovacevic – Italy
3rd – Kathy White – Australia
WINNER OF WINNERS
Division 1 – Ilenia Cecchini – Italy
Division 2 – Sefora Sbarra – Italy
Division 3 – Francesca Paliotto – Italy
INDIVIDUAL TOP SCORER
Francesca Paliotto – Italy – 1,177 points
TEAM TROPHY – Team Deco
Francesca Paliotto, Valentina Federici, Bianca Kovacevic, Sefora Sbarra, Ester Foli, Miriam De Luca
ART WINNER OF WINNERS
Division 1 – Elena Melchakov – Israel
Division 2 – Hieu Nguyen – United Kingdom
Division 3 – Pui Yun Yeung – Hong Kong
TOP UK TECH
Division 1 – Ekaterina Miliaeva
Division 2 – Anita Pazmandi
Division 3 – Kirsty McDonough
Runway Nails
by Lilla Tökés – 1st place, Division 3.
Full Cover Creative
by Lana Parker – 1st place, Division 2.
Art on Nails
by Lilit Harutyunyan – 1st place, Division 1.
Reality Nails
by Pui Lun Yeung – 1st place, Division 3.
EMBELLISH ME: THE SOCIAL MEDIA VIDEO CHALLENGE
Division 3
1st – Loi Van Nguyen – Vietnam
FULL COVER CREATIVE: Pi / 3.14
Division 1
1st – Liudmila Tarshikova – USA
2nd – Zhengjun Wang – China
Division 2
1st – Lana Parker – Romania
2nd – Wai-Ling Ngor – Hong Kong
3rd – Cintia Kakuk-Szvitek – Hungary
Division 3
1st – Yim Fan Wong – Hong Kong
2nd – Anita Chahal-Millar – United Kingdom
3rd – Sofiia Mazur – Canada
ART ON NAILS: Open theme
Division 1
1st – Lilit Harutyunyan – Belgium
2nd – Alina Matiukhina – Ukraine
Division 2
1st – Lana Parker – Romania
2nd – Hieu Nguyen – United Kingdom
Division 3
1st – Loi Van Nguyen – Vietnam
2nd – Renáta Deák – Hungary
3rd – Kirsty McDonough – United Kingdom
RUNWAY NAILS: The Rococo Era
Division 1
1st – Liudmila Tarshikova – USA
2nd – Gloria Pongrac – Slovenia
3rd – Ellen Hixson – USA
Division 2
1st – Lana Parker – Romania
2nd – Suzana Vlad – Romania
3rd – Hieu Nguyen – United Kingdom
Division 3
1st – Lilla Tökés – Hungary
2nd – Alice Nali – United Kingdom
3rd – Ivana Ujhazi – Czechia
REALITY NAILS: London – Orlando – Shanghai
Division 1
1st – Serena Marangon – Italy
2nd – Elena Melchakov – Israel
3rd – Labrini Liaka – Greece
Division 2
1st – Lana Parker – Romania
2nd – Ester Foli – Italy
3rd – Rita Kiss-Rojcsik – Hungary
Division 3
1st – Pui Lun Yeung – Hong Kong
2nd – Brigitta Fajt – Hungary
3rd – Dung(Fox) Nguyen – USA
FLAT ART BOXED: Chinoiserie styling
Division 1
1st – Liudmila Tarshikova – USA
2nd – Dorottya Takács – Hungary
3rd – Elena Melchakov – Israel
Division 2
1st – Lana Parker – Romania
2nd – Tuan Khang Nguyen – United Kingdom
3rd – Naoe Shiraishi – Japan
Division 3
1st – Paola Marrone – Italy
2nd – Le Truong – USA
3rd – Danielle Brindley – United Kingdom
DESIGN NAILS FOR AN ALBUM COVER: Gothic
Division 1
1st – Liudmila Tarshikova – USA
2nd – Zsuzsanna Radicsne Tamba – Ireland
3rd – Gloria Pongrac – Slovenia
Division 2
1st – Wai-ling Ngor – Hong Kong
2nd – Lana Parker – Romania
3rd – Cintia Kakuk-Szvitek – Hungary
Division 3
1st – Alice Nali – United Kingdom
2nd – Adél Horváth – Hungary
3rd – Anuja S. Mathur – India
PEDICURE POSTER
Division 1
1st – Ewelina Kowalczyk – Poland
2nd – Nina Ocepek – Slovenia
3rd – Kateryna Lukasevych – Spain
Division 2
1st – Lana Parker – Romania
2nd – Dorota Piskorz – United Kingdom
3rd – Suzana Vlad – Romania
Division 3
1st – Anikó Györök – Hungary
2nd – Ana Todorovic – Serbia
3rd – Lucia Krasulova – Slovakia
MANICURE POSTER
Division 1
1st – Nina Ocepek – Slovenia
2nd – Yuliia Tur – Ukraine
3rd – Kateryna Lukasevych – Spain
Division 2
1st – Lana Parker – Romania 2nd – Barbara Csuri – Hungary
3rd – Irina Rulkova – USA
Division 3
1st – Eszter Fekete-Bulla – Hungary
2nd – Laura Családi – Hungary
3rd – Ana Todorovic – Serbia
EXTREME NAIL STYLING POSTER
Division 1
1st – Keve Gabriella – Hungary
2nd – Dorottya Takács – Hungary
3rd – Ewelina Kowalczyk – Poland
Division 2
1st – Natalya Lyabakh – Russian Federation
2nd – Hoang Pham – Canada
3rd – Lilla Szászvári – Hungary & Genessis Bonilla – Venezuela
Division 3
1st – Anita Chahal-Millar – United Kingdom
2nd – Oxana Vorotnyak – Russian Federation
3rd – Loi Van Nguyen – Vietnam
AI NAIL VISION POSTER
Division 1
1st – Akiko Morita – Japan
2nd – Ewelina Kowalczyk – Poland
3rd – Liudmyla Nikohosian – Ukraine
Division 2
1st – Emma Brock – United Kingdom
2nd – Hieu Nguyen – United Kingdom
3rd – Dorota Piskorz – United Kingdom
Division 3
1st – Olena Fedorchenko – USA
2nd – Anuja S. Mathur – India
3rd – Eszter Fekete-Bulla – Hungary
MIXED MEDIA BOXED ART: Open theme
Division 1
1st – Elena Melchakov – Israel
2nd – Floriana Bougon – France
3rd – Maddison Townsley – United Kingdom
Division 2
1st – Lana Parker – Romania
2nd – Mya Lacome – France
3rd – Tuan Khang Nguyen – United Kingdom
Division 3
1st – Lilla Tökés – Hungary
2nd – Serena Scarano – Italy
3rd – Pui Lun Yeung – Hong Kong
TO STILETTO & BEYOND: Metamorphosis
Division 1
1st – Yulia Inozemtseva – Russian Federation
2nd – Labrini Liaka – Greece
3rd – Kozma Luca – Hungary
Division 2
1st – Lana Parker – Romania
2nd – Hieu Nguyen – United Kingdom
3rd – Alexandra Restás – Hungary
Division 3
1st – Loi Van Nguyen – Vietnam
2nd – Viktória Tiara Borsné Pap – Hungary
3rd – Adél Horváth – Hungary
GEL POLISH MANICURE
Division 1
1st – Nina Ocepek – Slovenia
2nd – Crinela Albu – Romania
3rd – Ilenia Cecchini – Italy
Division 2
1st – Ying Ching Li – Hong Kong
2nd – Ester Foli – Italy
3rd – Alexandra Tur – United Kingdom
Division 3
1st – Francesca Paliotto – Italy
2nd – Mateja Petkov – Slovenia
3rd – Valentina Federici – Italy
THE JOY OF NAILS
Division 1
1st – Ilenia Cecchini – Italy
2nd – Sophie Mulenhof – The Netherlands
3rd – Nina Ocepek – Slovenia
Division 2
1st – Sefora Sbarra – Italy
2nd – Miriam De Luca – Italy
3rd – Anita Pazmandi – United Kingdom
Division 3
1st – Francesca Paliotto – Italy
2nd – Mateja Petkov – Slovenia
3rd – Ryuji Nakayama – China
‘‘ Entries featured sensational interpretations of themes and sheer artistic genius.
Flat Art Boxed
by Danielle Brindley – 3rd place, Division 3.
Design Nails for an Album Cover
by Wai-Ling Ngor – 1st place, Division 2.
Manicure Poster
by Eszter Fekete-Bulla – 1st place, Division 3.
Pedicure Poster
by Anikó Györök – 1st place, Division 3.
Gel Polish Manicure
by Mateja Ptekova – 2nd place, Division 3.
French Twist
by Francesca Paliotto – 1st place, Division 3.
Salon Nails
by Wiktoria Kozlowska – 2nd place, Division 3.
To Stiletto & Beyond
by Loi Van Nguyen – 1st place, Division 3.
Stiletto Nails
by Genki Itou – 3rd place, Division 3.
Mixed Media Boxed Art
by Lilla Tökés – 1st place, Division 3.
Extreme Nail Styling Poster
by Anita Chahal-Millar – 1st place, Division 3.
The Nailympia Competitions 2026 global campaign imagery is courtesy of: Nails: Elena Maltseva @elena_maltseva_nail Coordinator: Elena Popova @popovaelena_nfp Photographer: Elena Gelberg @pena_litrova Make-up artist: Varvara Tabutarova @varvara_tabu Hair stylist: Ksenia Golubeva @kcenja_golubeva Model: Elizaveta Plotnikova @plotnikova_elizabet
For information about
Nailympia Competitions,
including how to enter, visit www.nailympia.com
/Nailympia
@nailympiacompetitions
@nailympia.comps
Nailympia Competitions
are powered by
Dates for the diary 2027
7-8 February
Nailympia Anaheim
May (date TBA)
Nailympia China
6-7 June
Nailympia Orlando
29-30 August
Nailympia San Antonio
10-11 October
Nailympia London
To register your interest in Nailympia’s upcoming events, visit bit.ly/nailympia2027-ryi or scan here
FANTASY COMPLETE LOOK
Division 1
1st – Ewelina Kowalczyk – Poland
Division 2
1st – Alexandra Restás – Hungary
2nd – Vanessa Espinola Rios – Paraguay
Division 3
1st – Pui Lun Yeung – Hong Kong
2nd – Alice Nali – United Kingdom
FRENCH TWIST
Division 1
1st – Ilenia Cecchini – Italy
2nd – Crinela Albu – Romania
3rd – Serena Marangon – Italy
Division 2
1st – Sefora Sbarra – Italy
2nd – Miriam De Luca – Italy
3rd – Nik Jenko – Slovenia
Division 3
1st – Francesca Paliotto – Italy
2nd – Mateja Petkov – Slovenia
3rd – Bianca Kovacevic – Italy
SALON NAILS
Division 1
1st – Ilenia Cecchini – Italy
2nd – Serena Marangon – Italy
3rd – Nina Ocepek – Slovenia
Division 2
1st – Sefora Sbarra – Italy
2nd – Cintia Kakuk-Szvitek – Hungary
3rd – Miriam De Luca – Italy
Division 3
1st – Francesca Paliotto – Italy
2nd – Wiktoria Kozlowska – Poland
3rd – Bianca Kovacevic – Italy
UV GEL COMPETITION NAILS
Division 1
1st – Serena Marangon – Italy
2nd – Ilenia Cecchini – Italy
3rd – Michela Tironi – Italy
Division 2
1st – Sefora Sbarra- Italy
2nd – Ester Foli – Italy
3rd – Miriam De Luca – Italy
Division 3
1st – Francesca Paliotto – Italy
2nd – Bianca Kovacevic – Italy
3rd – Wiktoria Kozlowska – Poland
L&P ACRYLIC COMPETITION NAILS
Division 1
1st – Serena Marangon – Italy
2nd – Ilenia Cecchini – Italy
3rd – Michela Tironi – Italy
Division 2
1st – Sefora Sbarra – Italy
2nd – Miriam De Luca – Italy
3rd – Ester Foli – Italy
Division 3
1st – Francesca Paliotto – Italy
2nd – Genki Itou – Japan
3rd – Bianca Kovacevic – Italy
STILETTO NAILS
Division 1
1st – Ilenia Cecchini – Italy
2nd – Serena Marangon – Italy
3rd – Nina Ocepek – Slovenia
Division 2
1st – Miriam De Luca – Italy
2nd – Cintia Kakuk-Szvitek – Hungary
3rd – Anita Pazmandi – United Kingdom
Division 3
1st – Francesca Paliotto – Italy
2nd – Wiktoria Kozlowska – Poland
3rd – Genki Itou – Japan