The Nailympics competition, which began in Las Vegas in 2001, proved to be as exciting as ever in 2008 when 124 nail techs and artists from all over the world convened in London, May 18-19, to battle for a series of titles in six competition categories, each with three divisions. “I see many faces returning every year as techs and artists alike vie for the prestigious titles,” says event organizer Alex Fox. “I am also pleased to see new names and new countries represented every year, showing healthy growth and increasing awareness of this event around the world.”

An international judging panel was brought into London to bring quality, expertise, and global flavor to this annual event. “I find it incredible to see so many dedicated people together sharing the same goals and dreams for this industry,” says head judge Lysa Comfort.

Here are the winners:

Acrylic Sculpture, Division 1: 1st: Alexander Schneider; 2nd: Jo Su Hyun; 3rd: Kim Kyoung Joo

Acrylic Sculpture, Division 2: 1st: Linda Luybregts; 2nd: Kim Seung Ah; 3rd: Majken Frandsen

Acrylic Sculpture, Division 3: 1st: Stefanie LoRe; 2nd: Seo Sang-Mi; 3rd: Karin Strom

Acrylic Tip & Overlay, Division 1: 1st: Lee Jae Hee; 2nd: Alexander Schneider; 3rd: An Eun Joo

Acrylic Tip & Overlay, Division 2: 1st: Lee Ha Na; 2nd: Alexandra Snobl; 3rd: Park Hyo-Jin

Acrylic Tip & Overlay, Division 3: 1st: Seo Sang-Mi; 2nd: Karin Strom; 3rd: Zsuzsanna Kaszne Fekete

Wrap Tip & Overlay, Division 1: 1st: Kwon Soo Jin; 2nd: Jo Su Hyun; 3rd: Cho Su Yon

Wrap Tip & Overlay, Division 2: 1st: Park Hyo-Jin; 2nd: Maria Sundberg; 3rd: Elise Scholes

Wrap Tip & Overlay, Division 3: 1st: Karin Strom; 2nd: Jang In-Hee; 3rd: John Hauk

Gel Tip & Overlay, Division 1: 1st: Kim Kyoung Joo; 2nd: Kim Hyun Jin; 3rd: Cecilie Agotnes

Gel Tip & Overlay, Division 2: 1st: Lee Ha Na; 2^nd: Sandra Lennerdahl;

3rd: Park Hyo-Jin

Gel Tip & Overlay, Division 3: 1st: Seo Sang-Mi; 2nd: Zsuzsanna Kaszne Fekete; 3rd: John Hauk

Mixed Media, Division 1: 1st: Kim Kyoung Joo; 2nd: Lee Jae Hee; 3rd: Satoko Kanayama

Mixed Media, Division 2: 1st: Maria Shishkina; 2nd: Vezhnin Sergei; 3rd: Lilia Nigmatulina

Mixed Media, Division 3: 1st: Jang In-Hee; 2nd: John Hauk

Fantasy, Division 1: 1st: Jo Su Hyun; 2nd: Anne Marie Mackenzie

Fantasy, Division 2: 1st: Jolanda Van Den Oetelaar; 2nd: Natalia Serebrovskaya; 3rd: Anita Petryszyn-Dopierata

Fantasy, Division 3: 1st: Lee In Ho; 2nd: John Hauk

— Judy