NAILS Next Top Nail Artist officially begins in one month! To prepare for season three, we are profiling three of our Top 12 every Friday (in alphabetical order) until the competition begins. If you aren’t following all of our talented Top 12, you should, and here’s why.

Halley Fortenberry

After winning Gelish’s Mani at Midnight contest, this newly minted nail tech gained the momentum she needed to enter NTNA. She’s only been licensed for one year, and interested in nails for two, but Fortenberry hails from the same lucky town in Florida as previous NTNA champion Ryoko Garcia. Oh, and Jan Arnold herself  has admired Fortenberry’s signature tribal mani.

See more of her nail art, read her bio, and follow her on social media, all by clicking here.

Lauren Boyd

She’s back! Last year’s awe-inspiring graffiti nail artist Lauren Boyd captured our hearts and imaginations with her colorful and unique looks. Remember that Erykah Badu mural? Or how about that L.A. manicure? Those are reasons enough to follow Boyd, but if you need an extra nudge we highly recommend keeping up with her to see the behind the scenes amazingness she is infusing into her Memphis salon.

View Lauren’s bio, nail art, and social media handles here.

Sarah Elmaz

Last year an Australian competitor took NTNA by storm, and this year could be no different. Popular nail artist from Down Under, Sarah Elmaz (also known as Get Buffed Nails), is ready to do her homeland proud. Elmaz has already flexed her artistic muscle, as she has been in the industry for 13 years. Her trademark is bright, pop culture-inspired nails that are clean and memorable. We can’t wait to see what this self-described perfectionist brings to the table.

Get to know Sarah better by checking out her work and social media accounts here.

Keep up with all of this year’s NTNA sponsors, judges, and contestants, by clicking here.