Scratch Stars Awards: Your questions answered!

Scratch editor & Scratch Stars Awards organiser, Helena Biggs, answers your questions about the Scratch Stars Awards 2019…

Q: What is it and who should enter?

The Scratch Stars Awards is run by Scratch magazine and recognises UK-based nail techs, bloggers, teams, salons and spas across 18 categories. There really is something to suit every skillset – and you can enter up to two categories per person, or per business. If you have been working as a nail tech or your business has operated for a minimum of 12 months (and you can prove this), then you’re eligible to enter. The best part is, it’s FREE to do so!

Q: I’m not sure that I’m good enough. Should I still enter?

Self doubt is one of the most common reasons why people don’t push themselves to enter competitions. Ask yourself: what have you got to lose? Nothing!

The Scratch Stars is unlike other nail competitions. It doesn’t just focus on nail skill or the biggest and best salon. A Scratch Star is a person or business that not only gives a great service every day, but is passionate, eager to grow, progress and/or help others, and offers exceptional customer care. Does this sound like you? Great!

It may not be the biggest salon or person who can create the most amazing nails that scoops the title. It’s the person or business that has the full package.

It takes 20-30 minutes to enter a competition and OK, if you don’t make it as a finalist, you’ve still had the opportunity to think about your answers, select your best pieces of work, and understand where your strengths/weaknesses lie. This is reason enough to fill in an entry form. Use it as a tool to question your ambitions and reflect on your achievements to date. You never know unless you give it a go!

Q: How do I enter?

All you need to do in the first stage is fill in an entry form – or two, if you wish to enter two categories. Click here to check out the categories.

Oh – and don’t forget to read the all-important Rules & Regulations before you enter!

Q: What happens after I’ve submitted my entry form?

You await your confirmation email and sit tight until early May, when five finalists in each category will be announced. They’ll be announced on Scratch‘s social media platforms and on the website.

Q: If I’ve made it as a finalist, what do I do next?

Finalists will be emailed by a member of the Scratch Stars team with details of the next stage of the competition. These next stages will be judged on Monday 10 June or Wednesday 12 June, depending on the category – and attendance at a judging day is only required by some finalists.

*Nail Salon, Nail Environment & Mobile Nailist finalists will be judged on 12 June, but they don’t need to attend a judging day. They’ll be subject to a mystery shopper, who’ll book an appointment with them between May and June. The mystery shopper’s feedback will be used by the judges on Wednesday 12 June, who’ll mull over this, the initial entry form and websites/social media to determine a winner in each category.

*Blogger, Social Media Star, Nail Team, Session Stylist, Services to the Nail Industry & Shooting Star finalists don’t have to do anything further post-application, except keep up the great work, as their posts and content over the last 12 months will be assessed by our judging panel on 12 June. If the panel needs some extra info, however, we’ll communicate this well in advance.

Monday 10 June

*Individual techs that achieve finalist status in the L&P, Gel, Gel Polish, Natural Nail Specialist, Polish & Paint Artist, Mixed Media Artist, One Stroke Artist & Nail Stylist categories will be invited to a competition day at The LCBT, London, on this day. Here, they’ll be required to perform a practical nail task in one hour, followed by an informal chat with the judges. A full briefing of this task will be on the email from the team, and you can get a feel for what happens on the day by watching the video from 2018, here.

Wednesday 12 June

*Educator finalists will be required to come to The LCBT on Wednesday 12 June to perform a 30 minute beginners’ nail class in front of students from The LCBT, before being quizzed by a judging panel.

Q: So after the judging days, what’s the next step?

It’s time to get excited about the Scratch Stars Party! This is where the winners of the Scratch Stars Awards will be announced, but it’s also a super-fun night for your friends, family and fellow members of the nail industry.

The Scratch Stars Party is on Sunday 21 July 2019 at Proud, Embankment, London – a very cool club that’s one of the newest places to party in London. Each finalist will be listed on the door and able to attend with our compliments, as a ‘well done’ for reaching the finals. Any additional tickets can be purchased here, where you can also view further info.

Rylan Clark-Neal is hosting and they’ll be lots of entertainment and fun things to see, as well as some great music for dancing. In order to keep costs down, we don’t do a big formal sit-down meal – just plenty of canapés and cocktails. It’s party wear, too, so wear what you feel comfortable in to dance the night away!

Q: What happens post-awards?

Winners and finalists receive support from Scratch in the form of press releases to send out to local press to shout about their achievements, as well as logos more. Finalists and winners can request feedback in the form of scoresheets from the Scratch Stars team to take a look at their areas of achievement or ways they can develop.

All winners and finalists are offered opportunities throughout Scratch in the year that follows – such as magazine features and social media coverage. They’re the first names we put forward to any outsiders that request top techs or salons – so it potentially opens up a realm of opportunity and possibility. Winners get a shiny gold trophy, too!

SAVE THE DATE!

Helena will be answering any further questions LIVE on Facebook & Instagram on Monday 11 March 2019 at 1pm GMT.