
2008 2nd Runner-up: Julie Heinrich, Jenniffer & Co., Mentor, Ohio

2008 4th Runner-up: Dena Wright, Dena's Nail Elegance, Austintown, Ohio

2008: Hayato Shiomi, Tokyo

2008: Debbie Brew, Mentor, Ohio

2008: Kathleen M.M. Ringwood-Wood, Poughkeepsie, N.Y.


2008: Viv Simmonds, Taylors Lakes, Australia

2008: Carmen Gonzalez Banda, Fajardo, Puerto Rico

2008: Yasuko Iwamoto, Tokyo

2008: Mariko Nakamura, Fujisawa, Japan
2008: Angelina Maul, Prineville, Ore.

2008: John Hauk, Springboro, Ohio

2008: Leeandra Brown, Victoria, B.C., Canada
2008: Mary Griffin, Heber Springs, Ark.

2008: Cindy Davis, Ridgecrest, Calif.

2008: Sayaka Tamura, Tokyo
2008: Laura Campos, Gainesville, Fla.

2008: Stacy Senecal, Geneva, N.Y.

2008: Kuniko Umino, Tokyo

2008: Chelsa Swaser, Fargo, N.D.

2007 WINNER: DOAN HOELSCHER
Believing, we suppose, that you can’t improve upon nature, cover artist and salon owner Doan (rhymes with “Joan”) Hoelscher used real strawberry seeds to adorn the nails you see on our cover. “I froze the strawberries and picked the seeds off with a needle,” she says. Hoelscher had New Year’s Eve and Valentine’s Day in mind when she settled on her festive and elegant theme. “These days represent fresh starts, love, and sensuality,” she says. With a friend serving as her model, she applied tips with an acrylic overlay, then polished the nails with OPI’s I’m Not Really a Waitress. She applied the strawberry seeds while the polish was still wet, then applied top coat.

2007 1st Runner-up: Eriko Adachi, Tout Soleil, Tokyo

2007 2nd Runner-up: Azusa Hara, Creative Salon Ciel, Tokyo

2007 3rd Runner-up: Stephanie Brady, Oasis Day Spa and Salon, Morehead City, N.C.

2007 4th Runner-up: Masaki Fukunaga, Tout Soleil, Tokyo

2007: Robin L. Clark-Chisholm, Seymour, Mo.

2007: Ayumi Takio, Tokyo

2007: Chelsa Swaser, Fargo, N.D.

2007: Yuki Nakamura, Chiba, Japan

2007: CoCo Hayano, Honolulu, Hawaii

2007: Erica Plyter, Fort Stewart, Ga.

2007: Tomoko Sato, Chiba, Japan

2007: Justine Dela Rosa, Eureka, Calif.

2007: Kristin Miller, Washington, N.J.

2007: Miho Kurosawa, Tokyo

2007: Katie Lansel, McCordsville, Ind.

2007: Sara Bowen, Brantford, Ontario, Canada

2007: Shizuka Harihara, Tokyo

2007: Dawn Firestone, Franklin Park, N.J.

2007: Yuka Kiyono, Tokyo

2007: Kaori Ioka, Chiba, Japan

2007: Freeda Latham, Hillsville, Va.

2007: Yasuko Iwamoto, Tokyo

2007: Rebecca Bence, Austin, Texas

2007: Mai Otani, Tokyo

2008 1ST RUNNER-UP: Mary Oohara, New York Nail, Toyohashi City, Japan

In the year 2000, the editors of NAILS decided it would be fun to have a nail technician reader create the cover for one issue and so we started the Cover Tech Contest. Every year, we get hundreds of beautiful entries, creative concepts, and astonishing photographs. Browse through the best of the contests through the years. If you're interested in learning how to submit material for the next Cover Tech Contest, contact Judy.Lessin@bobit.com for details.
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