Categories

• Tattoo of the Day (Friday / Saturday / Sunday)
• Best Collector
• Best Vintage
• Best Sleeve
• Best Leg
• Best Back
• Best Front / Chest / Torso
• Best Bodysuit
• Best Head
• Best Apprentice
• Best Fineline
• Best Script / Lettering
• Best Japanese
• Best Oriental
• Best Cultural
• Best Neo Tribal
• Best Ornamental / Blackwork
• Best Geometric / Dot Work
• Best Bio Mech / Organic
• Best Anime / Pop Culture
• Best Black & Grey — Small / Medium
• Best Black & Grey — Large
• Best Colour — Small / Medium
• Best Colour — Large
• Best Realism — Colour
• Best Realism — Black & Grey
• Best Neo Traditional — Small / Medium
• Best Neo Traditional — Large
• Best Traditional — Small / Medium
• Best Traditional — Large
• Best Cover-Up
• Best Banner
• Best Collaboration
• Best Multi-Day
• Tattoo of the Show
• Artist of the Show

Competition Guidelines & Rules

• Open to: All artists and collectors.
• Registration: Required at least 1 hour before your category; enter via QR codes around the venue. Entry fee: $10.
• Stage: Be stage-side 15 minutes before your category.
• Eligibility: Tattoos must be fresh (done at the convention) or fully healed. No partially healed work.
• Collectors: Must be present for judging.
• Trophies: If not present, email us to arrange collection.

On-Site-Only Categories

• Tattoo of the Day (Fri/Sat/Sun)
• Best Collaboration
• Best Multi-Day
• Tattoo of the Show

Judging Criteria

• Artistic Quality: line work, shading, colour saturation, composition
• Originality
• Placement: fit to body
• Technical Skill

Size Categories

• Small / Medium: up to 30 cm
• Large: over 30 cm

Style-Specific Rules

• Blackwork: only solid black
• Colour: full colour allowed with black lines
• Black & Grey: greywash only, no colour

Special Categories & Notes

Best Cultural

Recognises tattooing with deep cultural, ancestral, or spiritual roots. Open to all. Styles include Aboriginal, Polynesian, Samoan, Tongan, Tahitian, Filipino/Batok, Bornean, etc.

• Cultural integrity
• Artistic quality
• Visual impact

Artist of the Show

• Awarded to the most consistently awarded tattooer.
• Tie-breaker decided by judges.

Best Cover-Up

• “Before” photo required (preferably printed A4 colour).
• Judged on concealment and final result.

Best Bodysuit

• Must be a cohesive full-body design.
• Fully healed only.
• Judged on cohesion, technical proficiency, flow, originality.

Best Collector

• Curated collection from multiple respected artists.
• Fully healed work only.
• Judged on merit, cohesion, diversity, presentation.

Best Vintage

• Must be 20+ years old.
• Judged on aging quality, integrity, skin integration.

Best Banner

• Hand-painted banners only.
• Judged via floor walkthrough (no entry needed).
• Judged on creativity, artistic skill, relevance, and visual impact.
• Collaborations allowed (credit all artists).