Nail technicians at Just Nails in Frederick, Md, get a chance to compete in a nail art competition without ever leaving the salon. For the third year running, owner Jan Knox has held a nail art contest in her salon. In 1993 all the salons nail technicians participated in the contest.

Knox displayed her nail technicians’ entries on a frame in the shop throughout the month of September. Clients were given a ballot listing only the numbers of the nail art entries. They wrote who they thought did each set and then circled the entry they liked best. Nancy Ciparro’s playing-card nails won her a free dinner and a horse-drawn carriage ride for two. Jan Knox took second place and Ann Tyler and Ellaina Hicks were runners-up. Clients who correctly matched all the nail tip sets to the nail technicians received a Just Nails T-shirt. Of the 154 clients who entered the contest, 26 won T-shirts.

During September, any client who has never worn nail art receives it free. Says Knox, “The competition refreshes everyone’s creativity, and our clients have fun playing our nail art game.”

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