Printable copy click here

Pertains to every model & competitor in every competition.

FINAL RULES – April 27, 2011!

• Competitions are open to students & professional nail technicians of all skill levels.
• The Nailympics reserves the right to refuse entry to any competitor.
• Competitors and models must be at least 18 years old.
• Competitors must use a live model and arrange for their own model.
• Each competition will have a briefing, scheduled 15 minutes prior to the start of each event.
• Competitors and models must be present for the briefing.
• Once the briefing starts, the competitor may not touch the model’s nails until the competition begins. If any competitor touches their model’s nails after the briefing and before the start of the competition, they will have 5 points deducted from their final score.
• Competitors not understanding English fluently must supply their own translator.
• Translators must read over the rules with the competitor, prior to the competition briefing, to assure the competitor understands all rules.
• The translator must be present during the competition briefing and stay just outside the competition floor in a designated area during the competition in the event they are needed for communication with the competitor.
• The Nailympics is not responsible for any competitor not adhering to or not understanding every rule.
• A full set of nails (2 hands) must be completed and all of the work must be finished in the time allotted for the competition.
• Model’s nails will be check by the floor judge(s) during the briefing to be certain no work has been done prior to the briefing.
• If it is decided by the judges that application work has been done on the model prior to the briefing, the competitor will receive a five point deduction from their final score.
• Competitors will be allowed to set up their tools & products during the competition briefing.
• Competitors must specify the division they are entering when the registration form is completed.
• Once a competitor has registered, they cannot change divisions.
• Strictly no nail molds may be used.
• Competitors must enter the highest division they qualify for.
• Due to the large attendance and international participation, the Nailympics is not responsible for verifying each competitor enters the correct division, this is done on the honor system.
• Nailympics will correct those it knows to be incorrect, but cannot verify all.
• If it is found a competitor has registered in the wrong division, they will receive a 10 point deduction in their final score for each competition they competed in.
• Competitors must bring all necessary electrical supplies, including UV lamp, extension cord, and adaptors.
• Nailympics provides a table lamp, though you are welcome to bring your own if preferred.
• Each competitor will be provided one electrical outlet; gel competitors will get two outlets.
• There are NO refunds of competition fees.
• Competition entry fees are non-transferable.
• There is no eating allowed on the competition floor and only non-alcoholic drinks.
• Once the allotted time is up, competitors must immediately stop working and put their hands open. The model  should stand and get in line for judging. Competitors caught touching their model after time is called will receive a 10 point deduction to their final score.
• Any competitor found still working on their model after the close of the competition will be disqualified.
• Incomplete nails will be judged with an automatic 10 point deduction to their final score.
• When instructed, competitors are responsible for getting their model to the judging arena and making certain the model understands they must be judged by all three judges before leaving the competition floor.
• Models must not leave the judging area until they have been completely judged.
• Any model leaving the judging area prior to being judged will be disqualified.
• All products must be clearly labeled. Hand written labels are acceptable.
• Competitor numbers will be assigned on site.
• Competitors may not go into their kit bag after the competition has begun.
• Each division will have one overall division winner – the “Best of the Best”.
• There is no restriction on “Best of the Best” – everyone is eligible, even if they won it the previous year.
• The “Best of the Best” total score will be based on all six of the nail application competitions combined scores. The competitor must compete in a minimum of 3 of the hands – on competitions to qualify for the “Best of the Best” and the best 3 will be added for the total.
• Mixed Media and Fantasy Nail Art competitions do not count as one of the required 3 competitions to qualify for the “Best of the Best”.
• A 1-10 point judging system will be used. 1 being the lowest – 10 being flawless.
• Any competitor not abiding by these rules will take whatever point deduction is allowed in the rules. For those rules not specifying a point deduction, there will be one warning, for the next infringement there will be a 5 point deduction, the third infringement is cause for disqualification.
• Head Judges’ decisions are final.
• In the case of any dispute or tie in scores effecting places 1-10, the head judge is the decision maker.
• Score sheets will be available for all competitors and those not picked up will be sent to the competitor approximately 4 weeks after.
• All  photos/video taken by Nailympics personnel or contractors are the sole property of the Nailympics to be used in whatever fashion deemed appropriate by the Nailympics without compensation to competitors or models.
• No Moble phones on the competition floor while the competition is going on. For models and competitors.
• No outside communication with competitors while competition is going on.
• Competitors way not be on the floor until the floor is opened for set up. If you are in the following competition, you may leave your table set up but clear the floor until the floor judge opens it up for set up.

Competition times:

Gel Open Technique Competition is 2 1/2 hours.

Acrylic Tip Overlay Competition is 2 hours.

Acrylic Sculpture Competition is 2 1/2 hours.

Soak Off Gel Manicure is 1 hour.

Stiletto Nail Competition is 2 1/2 hours.

Nail Embellishment Competition is 1 1/2 hours

Fantasy Nail Art Competition – comes complete, ready to judge.

Mixed Media Nail Art Competition – Show & Tell Format.

COMPETITION SPECIFIC RULES:

SCULPTURE (L&P), TIP OVERLAY GEL OPEN (TIPS OR FORMS)

• Competitors must polish one hand of the model with a red cream polish only – NO base coat, ridge filler or top coat may be used. The polish may be any brand, as long as it is a red cream polish, not frosted.
• These are traditional competitions with French style pink & white nails to be created. Cover pink products are allowed. These are NOT salon nail competitions.
• No lanolin, cream, lotion, polish dry products may be used.
• No gel sealers on any of the acrylic categories Only allowed for the Gel competition.
• Please Note: OIL IS ALLOWED.
• Water and non-lanolin based soap may be used in finishing.
• Competitors may not blend, shape or cut out tips or Forms prior to the start of the competition.
• Glue is allowed for tip application only & only in the tip overlay and Gel open competitions.
• No glue is allowed in the Acrylic sculpture competition.
• Drills are allowed, but competitor must supply their own drill and have ample electrical cords and adaptors.
• Gel competitors must bring their own UV Gel lamp.
• Only natural or clear tips are allowed in the tip overlay competitions.
• Choose your application technique for the gel category. You may free form sculpt or tip overlay.

MIXED MEDIA NAIL ART – Show & Tell Format

• All entries must be new to Nailympics and can only be entered one time at this competition. Pictures will be available from past competitions for judge’s reference. No repeat entries from past years are allowed.
• This competition is a show & tell format. Nails are to be designed on nail tips and placed in a covered display case to be placed in the competition area. Covered displays may be bought or made.
• Covered displays cannot be larger than 10 inches in either direction and no more than 4 inches in height. Having a display any larger may result in it not being displayed and if it is too large, it may not be accepted. This is left to the discretion of the Nailympics’ staff.
• All entries are to be 100% complete before bringing to the competition.
• A full set of 10 tips are to be created and must reflect different nail sizes, as real nails do. Anyone using all one size tips will have an automatic 10 point deduction to their final score.
• Maximum of 2 entries per competitor, each entry will incur a registration fee.
• You must be present to enter the Mixed Media Competition.
• All entries must be left at the competition until the close of the competition.
• No entries left after the close of the competition will be returned. It is the competitors’ responsibility to pick up their work at the designated time and place.
• All entries must be submitted on the first day of the competition at the designated time.
• All entries must be accompanied by a typed description of the work involved, including what types of nail art media were used.
• Competitors must use 3 of these 5 nail art media: airbrushing, embellishments (rhinestones, striping tape, clay, etc), L&P acrylic, gel, hand painting. Failure to use three separate art media will result in a 10 point deduction for each media less than 3.
• All three media used must be used in an artistic way, or they will not count towards the required 3 nail art media.
• No decals allowed in the mixed media nail art competition.
• All work created must be only that of the competitor submitting the artwork.
• Every competitor must be ready to verbally explain how something was created, if asked by the judges.
• Competitors may only submit their own work. All entrees may be questioned and the competitor asked to recreate a portion of the work submitted as proof.
• It is the competitor’s responsibility to clarify anything questionable prior to the event. Judges’ decisions are final.
• No embellishment or L&P product may extend further than ¼” from the original nail surface in any direction. If it does, there will be a 10 point deduction from the final score.
• Any embellishment to the actual tips, whether attached to the tip or not, will count & must not extend further than ¼” from the nail surface or 10 points will be deducted from the final score.

FANTASY NAIL ART COMPETITION:

• All entries must be new to the Nailympics and can only be entered one time at this competition. Pictures will be taken and available to the judges for past reference. No repeat entries from prior years are allowed.
• The Fantasy competition will now be prepared by the competitor prior to the competition and come ready for judging. This competition will be the first competition of the second day.
• Only the model and competitor are allowed on the competition floor for judging.
• Every competitor must be ready to verbally explain how something was created, if asked by the judges.
• Competitors may only submit their own work. All entrees may be questioned and the competitor asked to recreate a portion of the work submitted as proof.
• Three dimensional, pre-cast embellishments, feathers, decals, gems, accessories, ornaments or any form of fantasy is allowed.
• Keep in mind the costume is a large part of this competition (up to 10 points out of a total of 100), as this competition stresses creativity, difficulty and how well the theme of the entire design is recognizable and “makes sense” or goes together, all adding to the theme.

STILETTO NAIL COMPETITION

• Please Note: OIL IS ALLOWED
• No lanolin, cream, lotion, polish dry products may be used.
• Water and non-lanolin based soap may be used in finishing.
• Glue is allowed in the sculpture competition for Rhinestones and Bullion.
• Drills are allowed, but competitor must supply their own drill and have ample electrical cords and adaptors.
• Competitors may use Rhinestones, Bullion or Strippers / flat plant to accent the art element.
• All work must be created during the competition time. Preassembly of art is not allowed
• The scores are based on the degree of creativity, difficulty, originality, quality of work
• Nails are to be sculpted with either Acrylic or Gel and with forms only. No tips
• Nails can be made using acrylic or gel of any color.
• The application can be designed to the competitor’s desire and ability.
• Artwork can be applied into the nail and on the top if desired. If artwork is applied to top surface no more than ¼ inch in height
• Gel sealers and top coat are allowed
• No decals allowed.
• It is the competitor’s responsibility to clarify anything questionable prior to the event
• Head judges’ decisions are accepted as final

NATURAL NAIL SOAK OFF GEL MANICURE

• The model is to come with nails ready to be manicured.
• Competitors will be scored on table presentation, so it is recommended to be creative in the presentation. Table will be scored prior to the start of the competition WITHOUT the gel system of choice and UV light on the table.
• Table should not have any products with company labels on it DURING the judging. Judges will give score based on a manicure style set up.
• Once the table has been scored the competitor can then put their gel system or any products with brand labels on the table.
• The nails are to be manicured during the competition. Soaking in water is optional.
• The nails must be enhanced and covered with any type of soak off gel or Gel/ Laq. No traditional nail polish.
• One hand is to be solid red color.
• One hand is to be applied in a traditional French manicure. Using white on the free edge and French shades on the plate.
• No glitter, shimmer or frost. All colors must be free of pearl and opalescent.

NAIL EMBELLISHMENT:

• A hands-on nail art competition where the model comes with nails on and ready to be worked on.
• The set of the nails can be made with any type of artificial enchancement with the exception of cover tips
• All forms of nail art are allowed to create the design.
• Pre-assembly of art is NOT allowed. Nail art that is machine made into shapes are allowed.
• All work must be created during the competition time.
• The theme of the artwork must represent the theme set by the Nailympics. This year there is no set theme. However, we will expect there to be a theme of your choice that we can idenify.
• The artwork must be identifiable by judges as being of the theme, this is part of the overall score.
• There is no score for the shape/style of the nail.
• The overall appearance of the nail being worked on will be scored.
• The product used to create the nail may have color and/or glitter if desired.
• No nail art or embellishments of any kind are allowed in the nail application other than color/glitter. There will be no points given for any work done prior.
• The surface of the nail must be free of any and all products prior to the competition & will be checked by the floor judges.
• Scores are based on degree of difficulty, creativity, originality, quality of work & ability to represent the theme.

We cannot stress enough that the competitor must read and understand ALL rules. At the competition, “I didn’t know that” or “I didn’t understand that” will not be accepted. Assure you have the best experience you can, be prepared and know all the rules.

Need Clarification? Drop us an email at rules@nailympics.com – we’d love to hear from you!

Thank you for your interest, we sincerely hope to see you at our next event!

The Nailympics Competition -

“The Largest International Platform for Professional Competition”