Navigating Nail Competitions: Skills, Strategies & Success with Pivot Point /Nailympia webinar

On Wednesday 5 February at 6 PM GMT, Pivot Point will host an exciting webinar led by Buddy Sims, Learning Experience (LX) Specialist, in collaboration with Alex Fox and Vitaly Solomonoff. This online event will dive into the Nailympia competition, its roots, its ethos and its direction for 2025. The host Buddy Sims will also join the esteemed judging panel at Nailympia Anaheim on 23 February at Premiere Anaheim.

Buddy Simms, Pivot Point – Nailympia Anaheim judge

This virtual interview promises to provide an in-depth exploration of Nailympia. Topics will include the history and unique qualities of Nailympia, an overview of the competition categories, and invaluable advice for participants. Additionally, attendees will receive insights into what judges are looking for and get a guided tour of the Nailympia website to locate essential resources.

Joining Buddy Sims are Alex Fox, Nailympia’s organiser, and Vitaly Solomonoff, a nail expert and judge, who will bring their expertise to the room to enrich the discussion. Whether you’re a seasoned competitor or a first-timer, this webinar will equip you with the knowledge you need to join the circuit.

Vitaly Solomonoff of Cleanestiq. Nailympia international judge

Meet Buddy Sims

Buddy Sims is a seasoned expert with over a decade of experience in the beauty industry. He began his career as a Nails Subject Matter Expert, achieving recognition as both a finalist and judge for Next Top Nail Artist. Over the years, Buddy has worked with distributors, manufacturers and cosmetology boards. He has also owned a salon and holds an educator’s license.

Currently, as the Learning Experience Specialist at Pivot Point International, Buddy channels his vast knowledge to support beauty professionals, educators and students. His passion lies in fostering growth, success and innovation within the industry by combining effective teaching methodologies with cutting-edge technology.

Join this webinar to benefit from Buddy’s wealth of experience and to prepare yourself for success in the competitive and rewarding world of Nailympia. Click here to join the webinar – Here is the Registration Link!

102N_CVR_CBK_EN  

Nailympia 2025 locations revealed

The world-renowned Nailympia competition has officially announced its locations for the 2025 season, with the first event set to take place at the Premiere Anaheim trade show in Anaheim, California. Scheduled for February, this marks an exciting start to a year packed with talent, creativity and global participation in nail artistry.

As part of the esteemed Premiere Show Group, Nailympia Anaheim will attract nail technicians, artists and industry professionals from around the globe, offering a platform to showcase unparalleled skill and innovation. Nailympia continues to hold its place as the ultimate competition for nail professionals, celebrated for its non-biased judging system and commitment to fairness.


Nailympia’s Unique Approach to Competition

Nailympia has built its reputation as a competition free from brand influence, ensuring that skill and creativity are at the forefront of its judging criteria. It caters to all skill levels and its evolved judging system remains true to its founding principles:

  • Blind Judging: All competitions are judged anonymously. Judges have no knowledge of the competitor whose work they are assessing, ensuring fairness and transparency.
  • Unified Divisions: Competitors from all divisions are judged together based on merit, allowing for instances where a Division 1 competitor can outscore higher divisions.
  • Skill-Centric: Nailympia evaluates competitors purely on their technical skills and artistic creativity, making it an open playing field for all participants, regardless of the brands or systems they use.

Expanding the 2025 Schedule

While six confirmed locations are already in place, Nailympia is exploring the possibility of adding a second event in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, for 2025. This expansion aligns with the competition’s global mission of reaching new markets and providing opportunities for nail artists worldwide.


The Origins of Nailympia

Nailympia’s roots trace back to The Nail Olympics USA, a competition founded in 2001 in Las Vegas. Created by three organisations—IBD (run by Lee Tomlinson), Too Much Fun (Dianne D’Agnolo & James Johnson), and EZ Flow (David Daniel & Danny Haile) – its concept was revolutionary:

  • Competitors could use any system or brand.
  • Judging would be division-based and anonymous, ensuring fairness.
  • Skill levels would determine divisions, with competitors ranked only after judging was complete.

This ethos laid the foundation for Nailympia, which was later introduced to London in 2005, with Alex Fox – then editor-in-chief of Scratch Magazine – serving as the global competition director.


Looking Ahead to 2025

As Nailympia prepares to dazzle audiences once again, it reaffirms its commitment to showcasing exceptional talent, fostering creativity and maintaining a fair and inclusive environment. Whether in Anaheim, Ho Chi Minh City, or its other global stops, Nailympia 2025 promises to be a thrilling year for competitors.

New rules & score sheets can be viewed on this website www.nailympia.de


Nail imagery for 2025 – with thanks to Elena Popova

Nails – Elena Popova @popovaelena_nfp 

Photographer – Elena Gelberg @pena_litrova

Make-Up Artist – Varvara Tabutarova @varvara_tabu 

Hair Stylist – Ksenia Golubeva @ksenja_golubeva

Model – Alina Philipskaya @alina__0606

 

Nailympia & Premiere strengthen partnership for 2023 with 4 USA locations

 Nailympia Competitions, the globally renowned competition organisation for nail professionals, is expanding into three further locations for 2023, owing to a strengthened partnership with Informa Markets.

The success of the Nailympia Orlando 2019 and 2022 editions will see Nailympia Competitions at beauty exhibitions in the following locations, in line with the Premiere group’s growth across the USA:

Nailympia Anaheim 2-3 April

Nailympia Orlando 4-5 June

Nailympia San Antonio 1-2 October

Nailympia Columbus 8-9 October

 

This expansion comes at an exciting time, since Informa Markets announced earlier this year that it has partnered with the BolognaFiere Group and the Professional Beauty Association to deliver a landmark joint venture, promising an impressive series of beauty events in the US beauty market.

Nailympia Competitions will be hosted in seven locations for 2023; London, UK; Mexico City, Mexico; Düsseldorf, Germany, and Anaheim CA, Orlando FL, San Antonio TX and Columbus OH in the USA, in partnership with the world’s leading nail magazine, Scratch.

Each competition location will offer six live competitions on the show floor:

UV/LED Gel Tip & Overlay, L&P Acrylic Sculpture (with Perfect Match), The Joy of Nails, Stiletto Nails, Salon Nails & Reality Nails.

There will be four turn-in categories, comprising Flat Art, Runway Nails, Invent A Nail Shape and Extreme Nails Styling poster. All turn-in categories will have a theme that will be announced before each event and Reality Nails will be themed on the floor during the competition brief.

Click here for rules, regulations, address for postal entries, email for sending in jpeg for Extreme Poster Styling, deadlines & themes for Nailympia Anaheim. https://www.nailympia.com/anaheim/rules-regs/