Nail Stylist of the Year

NAIL STYLIST OF THE YEAR

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The Nail Stylist of the Year is a master tech who demonstrates unrivalled technical, artistic and interpersonal skills. Their nail talent is top-notch and they are proficient in using a variety of systems. They create incredible nail styles with precision, imagination and finesse.

Entrants to this category are well rounded in skill, business acumen, confidence and personal presentation, have an exceptional educational portfolio and push boundaries in their career.

JUDGING

Once the entry deadline has passed on 10 March 2025, all entries will go through a first round of judging, and five finalists in this category will be announced on Friday 18 April 2025.

Finalists must attend a practical judging day in London on Monday 19 May 2025 and complete a nail styling task in one hour, followed by answering judges' questions. Failure to attend this day will forfeit the finalist position and all associated benefits. Instructions and details about this judging day will be sent to finalists after 18 April 2025.

Scores at this practical judging day will be tallied to determine the winner of this category, who will be announced at The Scratch Stars Party on Sunday 6 July 2025.

Scratch Stars Judging Day, Comm By Helena Biggs

Nails created at the Scratch Stars judging day 2024 by Kayley Cairns, who went on to take the Nail Stylist of the Year title 2024.

READ THE RULES & REGS

Answers must be given in less than 300 words. Text over 300 words will not be read or considered. Please do NOT use artificial intelligence (AI) to generate your answers. Any entries have more than 20% AI influence will be disqualified.

Please confirm(Required)

Tick to confirm you have read the rules and regulations, you gained a recognised nail qualification in the UK prior to 1 February 2024 (12 months or more) and are currently working as a nail professional in the UK or ROI for 10+ hours a week.

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Note: There is no autosave feature on this application form. Please copy and paste all below answers into a text document and save images elsewhere before pressing submit in case of technical error. Images must be no bigger than 4096KB. Please read the rules and regulations before entry.

If you are having trouble submitting your entry, please send all required details via Dropbox or WeTransfer instead to scratchstars@scratchmagazine.co.uk. A confirmation email will be sent on receipt of your entry. Please check your junk mail before contacting.

Your details

Name(Required)

First Last

Chosen pronouns

Business name

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Telephone(Required)

Email(Required)

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Address(Required)

Street Address Address Line 2 City County / State / Region Postcode

Headshot(Required)

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Please provide proof of a UK/ROI-recognised nail qualification obtained on or before 1 February 2024 (12 months ago)(Required)

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Accepted file types: jpg, png, jpeg, pdf, Max. file size: 4 MB, Max. files: 1.

Which company do you currently hold your nail/beauty insurance with?(Required)

Please state which insurance company(Required)

Please provide proof of your current, valid insurance cover(Required)

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Accepted file types: jpg, png, jpeg, pdf, Max. file size: 4 MB, Max. files: 1.

Your business Facebook page

Your business Instagram username

Your business TikTok

Your business YouTube channel

Your business website

Competition questions

Please list any online/offline nail courses, classes and workshops you have taken part in since 1 February 2024 (12 months ago)(Required)

What do you do to ensure your continued professional development (CPD)?(Required)

What nail systems/products do you work with most often and why?(Required)

From where do you seek inspiration for your original nail styles?(Required)

What is your signature (or favourite) nail style?(Required)

Please describe how you create it and the products you use to do so.

Please outline your key achievements/career highlights from the past 12 months(Required)

How do you plan to develop your business and/or raise your professional profile in the next 12 months?(Required)

How do you ensure a high standard of nail services, hygiene and client care? Please give examples where possible(Required)

How do you keep up-to-date with nail industry news and innovations?(Required)

Why would you be a worthy winner of this category?(Required)

Please provide a client testimonial/review of your service (or a web link to a review)(Required)

At least 40 words – with their full name included

Image uploads

Please upload 10 high-resolution images (JPG or PNG, 300KB to 4MB in size) of your nail creations, showcasing your varied skill set, as listed below:

Gel or gel polish design on a client(Required)

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Accepted file types: jpg, png, jpeg, Max. file size: 4 MB, Max. files: 1.

L&P design on a client(Required)

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Accepted file types: jpg, png, jpeg, Max. file size: 4 MB, Max. files: 1.

Extreme nail enhancement(Required)

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Accepted file types: jpg, png, jpeg, Max. file size: 4 MB, Max. files: 1.

Natural nail one-colour overlay (any system)(Required)

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Accepted file types: jpg, png, jpeg, Max. file size: 4 MB, Max. files: 1.

Nail with two or more techniques(Required)

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Accepted file types: jpg, png, jpeg, Max. file size: 4 MB, Max. files: 1.

Nail design of choice(Required)

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Nail design of choice(Required)

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Accepted file types: jpg, png, jpeg, Max. file size: 4 MB, Max. files: 1.

Nail design of choice(Required)

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Accepted file types: jpg, png, jpeg, Max. file size: 4 MB, Max. files: 1.

Nail design of choice(Required)

Drop files here or

Accepted file types: jpg, png, jpeg, Max. file size: 4 MB, Max. files: 1.

Nail design of choice(Required)

Drop files here or

Accepted file types: jpg, png, jpeg, Max. file size: 4 MB, Max. files: 1.

Where did you hear about the Scratch Stars Awards?

Scratch Magazine

Other trade magazine

Social media

Google

Other (please state below)

Other

Please confirm(Required)

I consent to receive updates about the Scratch Stars Awards and its sponsors from 1 February 2025 onwards and confirm I've read how we use your personal information

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On pressing submit, you agree to enter the Scratch Stars Awards 2025 and will receive a confirmation email of your entry. Please check you have filled in all required fields as image uploads will need to be reselected if validation fails.

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The Scratch Stars Awards 2025 is sponsored by:

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