Stroke of GENIUS

Winning a category at Professional Beauty’s North Nail Championships is one of the best ways to cement your reputation and get yourself recognised by the big brands.

This year’s competition, taking place at PB North in Manchester Central on October 21–22, will see techs showing off their skills in pink and white, one stroke nail art, permanent polish, dip systems and more.

Our panel of judges will be split between blind judging, where they only see the models’ hands, and floor judging, where competitors’ working practices are observed. Points will be awarded on everything from excellent prep work and application technique to personal uniform.

CATEGORIES:

• Dip Systems

• Mixed Media Box Nail Art

• Nail Masters Heat

• One Stroke Nail Art Boxed

• Permanent Polish

• Photographic Classic

• Photographic Nail Art

• Pink and White Competition Style

• Salon Nail

• Spa Manicure

Student:

Nail Starters Manicure

Nail Starters Permanent

Polish

TIMINGS AND PRIZES:

Sunday, October 21 – 8.30am registration; 4.30pm awards presentation.

Monday, October 22 – 10.30am registration; 4pm awards presentation.

First-place winners will be featured in Professional Beauty, receive a trophy and be awarded an “experience with a judge” mentoring prize. Secondplace winners will get a trophy, third place wins a medal and all other competitors get a certificate.

HOW TO PREP for the day

1. Check your timings

You must be seated with your model in time for the briefing, which will be 15 minutes before your category’s start time. This is the ideal time to test your acrylic and gel consistency in the room temperature.

2. Know the dress code

Competitors should be dressed professionally in either a tunic or company T-shirt. For men, a plain back or white top is permitted. Jewellery is not allowed, apart from watches and wedding rings.

3. Know the small print

For example, competitors who overuse cuticle oil in categories that are allowed usage may incur a five-point deduction.

WHAT’S THE DEADLINE?

The deadline for entries is 10am on October 18, except for the photographic categories, which have a 12pm, September 24 deadline. Entry costs £10 per category for students and £24.50 for professionals. Enter now: professionalbeauty.co.uk/competitions