Nail techs show off skills in London in efforts to win Scratch Stars Awards

The sun shone in London on 19 May as 40 nail pros – many with models – made their way by plane, train and on foot to the London College of Beauty Therapy (LCBT) campus in Soho. Their mission? To showcase their nail skills and share their business prowess and knowledge in a bid to scoop the ultimate industry accolade: a Scratch Star.

The Scratch Stars Awards event is in its 13^th year, and recognises exceptional nail technicians, teams, educators and salons across 18 categories. Eight of these categories require a practical assessment, and a task was emailed to finalists one month prior to the competition day. Each hour-long practical session was followed by a short interview, where finalists, in turn, answered three questions from judges. These questions instigated responses to business scenarios and tested their industry know-how, in order to find the best all-round nail tech in each category.

A talented team of judges was assembled to score finalists on a number of criteria points, which have since been counted to determine winners, who will be rewarded at The Scratch Stars Party in London on 6 July. The judging panel comprised educators put forward by this year’s sponsors, Scratch Stars Hall Of Fame professionals and guest techs invited based on specific high skill levels.

The practical judging day categories:

• Gel Polish Stylist of the Year
• Nail Stylist of the Year
• Mixed Media Artist of the Year
• Polish & Paint Artist of the Year
• Gel Tech of the Year
• L&P Tech of the Year
• Pedicurist of the Year
• Natural Nail Specialist of the Year

Check out photos from the judging day below…