In-house nail competitions are a terrific way to bring out the best in your students, and, at Royal Beauty Careers in South Houston, Texas, the instructors recently took it a step further by organizing a school-wide competition that incorporated elements of all three programs of study: hair, skin, and nails.

“At real fashion shows, there is a team of beauty professionals working behind the scenes, and I wanted to convey that to the students,” says instructor Madelyn Johnson..

Each team was comprised of a nail tech (from the nail program), a hairstylist (from the cosmetology program), a make-up artist (from the esthetician program), and a model (also a student). The teams each picked their own theme — the winning group’s was “punk rock” — and spent a morning creating the look. To avoid bias, non-instructors (such as the registrar and employees in the financial aid department) judged the competition. “The students loved it,” Johnson says.

The school loved it too because it didn’t have to spend any money on this unique day of learning. The students brought in themed clothing from home…and the first-place prize? $100 worth of services at the school-affiliated salon. “One of the students on the winning team applied her winnings to getting brand new highlights in her hair,” Johnson says.