SATURDAY
6:15PM Best Small Black & Grey Size under A4 (21 x 29cm), black and grey including opaque and whites A small amount of colour is allowed less than 10% Best Small Colour Size under A4 (21 x 29cm), any tattoo style allowed Best Traditional / Neo Traditional Styles allowed: traditional, neo-traditional Best Oriental Origins in East Asian art traditions styles and mythology, modern variations allowed Best Ornamental Both colour and blackwork permitted. (Including Tribal, Geometric and "Trash Polka") Styles: geometric, shape, tribal, mandala, pattern, dotwork, blackwork Best Realism Portrait Styles allowed: realism and portraits only. No avant garde elements allowed. Collage or small accompanying realism scenes ARE allowed. but must all be realism. Best Of Day (Saturday) Can be any size, colour or style, but must be started and finished at the show on Saturday
SUNDAY
5:15PM Best Script / Custom Lettering Any script or custom based lettering. Any size or colours Best Large Black & Grey Over A4 (21 x 29cm) black and grey including opaque and whites. A small amount of colour is allowed less than 10%. Best Large Colour Over A4 (21 x 29cm) colour tattoo. Any style permitted. Best Avant Garde Any size permitted and can be in monochrome or colour. Tattoo style: collage, abstract, mash up styles. Best "Plymouth" Themed The wilder, the better—let your imagination run free! Best Of Show Any size permitted and can in monochrome or colour. The best of show tattoo must have been started and finished at the show, over the weekend
*HEALED ENTRIES ARE ALLOWED IN ALL CATEGORIES APART FROM BEST OF DAY AND BEST OF SHOW, BUT ONLY BY ARTISTS ACTIVELY TATTOOING AT THE SHOW
NO REGISTRATION REQUIRED
​Entries queue up for each category at the right hand side of the stage (looking at stage)
Categories will be judged one after another.
We will do category shout outs also, so listen for announcements
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Judging will be done using a token system;
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Contestants come on stage present their tattoo to the camera (linked to a big screen);
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Contestant will then present their tattoo to the judges for review;
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Contestant then lines up on stage and waits;
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Once all entries have been seen, judges will give their tokens to their choice of tattoo;
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Contestants that don't receive a token leave the stage;
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Contestants with tokens are then rejudged as finalists until one tattoo has the majority of tokens;
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Contestant tells us the artist name and studio;
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Winner announced and award given;
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Each tattoo can only be entered into a maximum of 2 categories .
*In categories where their are large amounts of entries, (and so not enough room on stage for everyone at once) - they will be judged in groups but using the same token system.
JUDGING
The judging will be carried out by independent, highly experienced tattoo artists, and their decisions are final.
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Judging will be as fair as possible, with each judge considering the following elements (where applicable) along with their own criteria for what makes a great tattoo:
• Initial Impact (first impression)
• Composition
• Readability (clarity of the imagery)
• Contrast
• Placement on the body (how it fits and flows)
• Linework
• Shading / Colour blending
• Saturation
• Longevity (how the tattoo will age)
• Originality / Creativity (not a factor in Portrait/Realism)
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Remember, bigger doesn’t always mean better.
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It’s the execution of these elements that will determine the winners.
The standard of work at this convention is expected to be extremely high, so whether you win or not is not a reflection of your talent—just the judges’ opinions on the day.
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Good luck to all artists and participants!