http://www.nznailcomp.com/, https://www.nznailcomp.com/events/2026-new-zealand-nail-competition

NZ Nail Competition, Auckland (2026)

05/10/2026

KENJAI MACPHAIL — ONLINE JUDGE

Meet your Online Judge — Perth Nail Master 💚

If you’ve competed before, you might recognise this face! We’re ridiculously excited to welcome Kenjai back to NZNC as one of our Online Judges.

Kenjai is a Master Competitor, multi-award-winning nail artist, owner of Kustom Klaws in Perth and Director of the Oceania Nail Championships.

She’s competed internationally, medalled at Nailympia and became the 2021 Oceania Overall Grand Champion and Masters Division Champion.

And then there was NZNC 2024… Kenjai came over, entered all our categories 😂 as well as a marathon and walked away with Overall Grand Champion, with first places across multiple categories and a sizeable collection of medals to take back across the Tasman.

So when Kenjai looks at your entry, she knows exactly what went into it. She’s been the person creating the concept, doing the work, questioning everything, submitting it and waiting for the feedback.

Now she gets to bring all of that experience to your work…

And if you’ve been thinking about entering, this is your chance to have your work seen and scored by people who genuinely understand what it takes to compete.

You don’t need to feel ready. You just need to give it a go. And while we’re talking competition — Oceania Nail Championships registrations are open too. So if one competition isn’t enough to scare yourself slightly 😂, definitely go check them out and see what they’ve got coming up.

Different competitions. Same idea. Create something. Stretch yourself. See what you’re capable of.

And remember you don’t have to win to win. 💚

05/10/2026

AMANDA VIVIERS — HEAD JUDGE for our Halloween Nail Competition

Meet your Head Judge Amanda Viviers 💚

If you’ve been around NZ nail competitions for a while, Amanda probably doesn’t need much of an introduction.

She was New Zealand’s beauty Association Nail Technician of the Year in 2021, is a multi award-winning international competitor, trained and accomplished judge, Beauty Association member, working beauty therapist, mum to children and many many animals — and someone who has been part of the NZ and Aus nail industry for a very long time.

Amanda first stepped into competition in Australia in 2014. A year later she entered the New Zealand Nail Competition and walked away Overall Champion, and she’s continued competing, judging and collecting a few more trophies along the way… including Masters Division Overall Champion at the Oceania Nail Championships in 2023… And again at GNDA in 2025!!

But the reason we love having Amanda as our Head Judge isn’t just the trophy cabinet. She understands what it’s like to be the competitor… To spend hours obsessing over tiny details, put something you’re proud of in front of a judging panel and then wait for someone else to give it a score. She understands the technical side, the creative side and the human side of competition. And she takes the responsibility of judging your work seriously.

Experienced, accomplished, fair and genuinely passionate about seeing other nail techs grow.

We’re very lucky to have Amanda leading our judging panel.

And if you’ve been sitting there wondering whether you should enter… This is your sign to stop wondering. 😂

You don’t need to be the best in the room. You don’t need to feel completely ready. Come create something, put it out there and simply see what happens.

You don’t have to win to win. 💚😉💪💅 Registration is still open but not for long!

19/09/2026

🎃 Do something scary. Enter a nail competition.

Seriously. If you’ve thought about it before, this might be your sign to actually give it a go…

Competition can be scary. Putting your work out there can be scary. Trying something you’ve never done before can definitely be scary. But getting outside your comfort zone is also where you get to stretch yourself, learn something new, meet people, get creative and find out what you’re capable of…plus it’s supposed to be fun. 💚

Our Halloween Poster Competition has three divisions and three different categories, so there’s space for different experience levels, styles and strengths. Pick the one that gets your brain going and challenge yourself to create something that reflects you.

Because you’ll never know if you never try. And if you always do what you’ve always done… well, you know the rest. 😉

Not a Halloween person? We’ve got you. Australia's Oceana nail championships registration are open too, with four online categories to choose from. As well as live and submitted options. Please do check them out!

You don’t need to feel completely ready.
You just need to be curious enough to give it a go.

Go on… Do something scary 👻

04/09/2026

Okay… we know you’ve thought about it. 👀🎃
Maybe you’ve even imagined the nails. Saved some inspo. Had the idea… and then suddenly your brain arrived with a full PowerPoint presentation on all the reasons why you shouldn’t. 🫣😂

Here’s the thing…
You may not place.
You might make mistakes.
Someone else could be better than you.
And you can still enter. 💚🫶✨

Because competing isn’t only about proving how good you already are. It’s an opportunity to create with intention, receive feedback, challenge your skills and find out what happens when you challenge yourself… And apparently 16 of you have already decided to do something scary… with 30 entries between you! 😱🙌💃💚

Some familiar names. Some brand new competitors. Some entering one category and some clearly choosing chaos. 😂 We LOVE to see it. 💚

So if you’ve been watching from the sidelines thinking maybe… then this is your nudge!

You don’t need to feel fearless.
You don’t need to know how it ends.
You just need to be willing to find out. 👻💚

Now, in the immortal spirit of I Know What You Did Last Summer… “WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!” 😂

No seriously, we want to know. 👀👇
If you’ve thought about entering but haven’t yet, what’s stopping you?

🎃 Halloween Poster Competition
📸 Entries due 18 October
🏆 Placings announced 31 October
💅 Three categories • Three divisions

Registration + full details via the link in bio.

29/08/2026

Okay… we must have really scared you off. Not a single new entry today. 😂💚 And now we’re introducing the category that probably isn’t going to help with that…

Say hello to: POSTER EXTREME 😈🎃

This is where we take Halloween, nail artistry and all those wonderfully ridiculous ideas that would normally have someone asking “but seriously, how wearable is that?” 😅

Extreme is about pushing beyond the everyday salon style… We want to see how far you can take it. 👀 whether it’s beautifully creepy. Weirdly wonderful. Technically impressive, or completely unexpected! Make us stare at it for slightly longer than is socially acceptable. 😂

And if Extreme sounds a little intimidating?

Well… it is Halloween. Maybe it’s time to do something scary. 😉🎃 No entries today means those spaces are still sitting there… waiting, watching 🫣

Full rules, judging criteria + registration via the link in bio.

29/08/2026

No nail art… At Halloween. 🎃😱

Yep… we said what we said. 😂💚

Introducing Poster Natural the category for those who know that sometimes simple done well can be harder than perfecting a love potion 🧪🫶✨

What exactly do we mean by natural?
💅 Your model’s own naturally grown nails
💅 No extensions or added length
💅 Natural nail shapes
💅 One colour OR a one-colour French

This one is about beautiful fundamentals clean application, consistency and finish… then taking those seemingly simple nails and creating a styled poster image where they remain the hero.

No elaborate nail art to hide behind. No extreme styling. No extensions to perfect the shape for you. Just great natural nails, a clever concept and your ability to make simple look exceptional.

And while we’re here… 21 entries are already on the board! 👻🙌 We’re loving seeing some new names amongst them too. Welcome aboard to everyone who has already jumped in, we promise the spooky waters fine. 😂💚

There are still spaces available, so if Poster Natural sounds like your kind of challenge… maybe this is your sign.

🎃 Theme: Halloween
💅 Three divisions
📸 Entries due 18 October
🏆 Placings announced 31 October
⚡ Limited spaces

Full rules, judging criteria + registration via the link in bio.

29/08/2026

Let’s be fair… nail techs need very little encouragement to get excited about Halloween. 😂
It’s right up there with Christmas as our industry’s favourite excuse to get the brushes out, lose several hours of our lives and decide that yes… that tiny hand-painted eyeball absolutely DOES need another glitter sparkle. 👁️✨

Halloween can be creepy, cute, glamorous, gruesome, funny, dark, beautiful, completely unexpected… same theme, a hundred different stories… And that’s exactly why we chose it.

Poster Art challenges you to take all that creativity and make it work within the brief. Five nails. One image. Your own concept… And unlike Poster Extreme, you can’t throw absolutely everything at it. 😏
We’re saving that chaos for later.

We’ve had no new entries today, which means your spot is sitting there looking suspiciously available. 😂🎃 So… in the wise words from I know what you did last summer “what are you waiting for for?”

Full rules, judging criteria + registration via the link in bio. www.nznailcomp.com

25/08/2026

“But what division would I even enter?”

Great question… because one of the things we really want to make clear is that you do not need to be an experienced competitor to compete.

That’s exactly why we have divisions 🙌
Whether this is your very first competition, or you’ve been around the competition block enough times to know that last tiny change at midnight… is absolutely a lie 😂💚 we have you covered!!

Our divisions are designed around your experience and skill level, so you’re being challenged alongside others at a similar stage of their journey.
And apparently some of you needed very little convincing because…
👻 We already have 17 entries registered!

A HUGE welcome aboard to everyone who has already taken the plunge. We are so excited to see what you create. 😉💚
And to those still hovering over the registration button… Come on in. The spooky water’s fine. 🎃😂

✨ Three divisions
✨ Three categories - Theme Halloween
✨ Brand-new scoring criteria & score sheets
✨ Entries due 18 October
✨ Placings announced 31 October
✨ Limited spaces available

Find your division, choose your challenge, and give it a go… we dare ya!! 🫣

Full division information + registration via the link in bio. www.nznailcomp.com

24/08/2026

🎃 Okay, it’s official. We’re doing Halloween! 👻

And if you’ve been quietly watching our competitions thinking “I’d love to do that… but I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing” and you happen to love Halloween… excellent! This one might just be for you. 😂

We’ve heard the questions. We’ve heard the nerves. We’ve heard the “but how do I actually know what the judges are looking for?”

So we’ve been working behind the scenes.

✨ Brand-new scoring criteria
✨ New score sheets with clearer point guides
✨ Three divisions so you can compete at the level that suits your experience
✨ Three very different categories designed to play to different creative strengths

Because competing should challenge you… not confuse you.

This is a chance to stretch yourself, try something you haven’t tried before, and maybe discover that you’re capable of a whole lot more than you thought.

And conveniently… it’s also the perfect little toe-dip into competition before we go BIG with the Nail Extravaganza in May 2027. 👀

So if you’ve been sitting on the fence, consider this us rattling it slightly.

🎃 Registration is OPEN
📸 Entries due 18 October
🏆 Placings announced 31 October
💵 Cash prize
⚡ Spaces are limited

Come play. Come learn. Come challenge yourself.

Worst case? You make something cool and learn a bunch.
Best case? Well… we’ll find out on Halloween. 👻🏆

Registration open now!

Link in bio. Full details, rules and registration are on the website.

Halloween not your vibe???
Make sure you check out ✨🫶
-Global Nail Design Awards
-Oceania Nail Championships
-Nailympia

09/05/2026

📦 Submitted Entry Return Update 💚✨

Update from behind the scenes…
Right now, Jerilee is carefully matching all entries back to competitors names, she’s double-checking that medals and scoresheets are allocated correctly. And then pairing that with the self addressed return slips.

Once that process is complete, Jerilee will begin contacting competitors who require return packaging (for whatever reason: ie overseas competitors) so we can keep everything moving smoothly.

We are working through this as quickly we can, while also making sure your work is handled with care and respect… because we know how much time, and energy goes into creating these pieces.

Amanda is busy writing out your certificates and will also be emailing them as well as the poster scoresheets via her person email (so be sure to keep an eye on your spam folder)

We want to thank you for your patience, your trust, and your support while we close the 2026 comp with the care it deserves 💚✨ the work that came through this year was jaw dropping!!!!! You should all be incredibly proud 🥹🥰🥳

NZ Nail Competition

05/10/2026

05/10/2026

19/09/2026

04/09/2026

29/08/2026

29/08/2026

29/08/2026

25/08/2026

24/08/2026

09/05/2026

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