<p>2009 1st Runner-Up:&nbsp;&nbsp;Olga Palylyk, Ornate Nailz by Olga, Surrey, B.C., Canada</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>

2009 1st Runner-Up:  Olga Palylyk, Ornate Nailz by Olga, Surrey, B.C., Canada

 

<p>2009 3rd Runner-up:&nbsp;&nbsp; Shiori Sato, Ci-z International College, Sapporo,&nbsp; Japan</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>

2009 3rd Runner-up:   Shiori Sato, Ci-z International College, Sapporo,  Japan

 

<p>2009 FINALIST:&nbsp;&nbsp;Olga Palylyk, Ornate Nailz by Olga, Surrey, B.C., Canada</p>

2009 FINALIST:  Olga Palylyk, Ornate Nailz by Olga, Surrey, B.C., Canada

<p>2009 FINALIST:&nbsp;Miku Aiuchi, Ci-z International College, Sapporo, Japan</p>

2009 FINALIST: Miku Aiuchi, Ci-z International College, Sapporo, Japan

<p>2009 FINALIST:&nbsp;Sayaka Tamura, Ci-z International College, Tokyo</p>

2009 FINALIST: Sayaka Tamura, Ci-z International College, Tokyo

<p>2009 FINALIST:&nbsp;Toshimi Maejima, N-Me&nbsp;Nail Academy, Ichikawa, Japan</p>

2009 FINALIST: Toshimi Maejima, N-Me Nail Academy, Ichikawa, Japan

<p>2009 FINALIST:&nbsp;Megumi Kitagawa Nail Salon Ciel, Tokyo</p>

2009 FINALIST: Megumi Kitagawa Nail Salon Ciel, Tokyo

<p>2009 FINALIST: Utako Ono, Nail Salon Ciel, Tokyo</p>

2009 FINALIST: Utako Ono, Nail Salon Ciel, Tokyo

<p>2009 FINALIST:&nbsp;Kim McGraw, Currie Hair, Skin &amp; Nails, Glen Mills, Pa.</p>

2009 FINALIST: Kim McGraw, Currie Hair, Skin & Nails, Glen Mills, Pa.

<p>2009 FINALIST:&nbsp;Doan Hoelscher, DaVinci&rsquo;s Salon &amp; Spa, Windsor, Colo.</p>

2009 FINALIST: Doan Hoelscher, DaVinci’s Salon & Spa, Windsor, Colo.

<p>2009 Noteworthy Entry: Lynn Lammers, Banning, Calif.</p>

2009 Noteworthy Entry: Lynn Lammers, Banning, Calif.

<p>2009 Noteworthy Entry: Hazel Dixon, Purely Nailz, Thetford, England</p>

2009 Noteworthy Entry: Hazel Dixon, Purely Nailz, Thetford, England

<p>2009 Noteworthy Entry: Yukaka Maruo, Nail Salon Ciel, Tokyo</p>

2009 Noteworthy Entry: Yukaka Maruo, Nail Salon Ciel, Tokyo

<p>2009 Noteworthy Entry: Blasa Dozal, Trendz Salon, Belvidere, Ill.</p>

2009 Noteworthy Entry: Blasa Dozal, Trendz Salon, Belvidere, Ill.

<p>2009 Noteworthy Entry: Irene Bynum, Irene's On Savannah, Clayton, Ga.</p>

2009 Noteworthy Entry: Irene Bynum, Irene's On Savannah, Clayton, Ga.

<p>2009 Noteworthy Entry: Yuki Sekine, N-Me Nail Academy, Ichikawa, Japan</p>

2009 Noteworthy Entry: Yuki Sekine, N-Me Nail Academy, Ichikawa, Japan

<p>2009 Noteworthy Entry: Mary Roca, Currie Hair, Skin &amp; Nails, Glen Mills, Pa.</p>

2009 Noteworthy Entry: Mary Roca, Currie Hair, Skin & Nails, Glen Mills, Pa.

<p>2009 Noteworthy Entry: Ayumi Furukawa, N-Me Nail Academy, Ichikawa, Japan</p>

2009 Noteworthy Entry: Ayumi Furukawa, N-Me Nail Academy, Ichikawa, Japan

<p>2009 Entry: Haruko Itou</p>

2009 Entry: Haruko Itou

<p>2009 Entry: Hiroe Yamada</p>

2009 Entry: Hiroe Yamada

<p>2009 Entry: Risa Sasaki</p>

2009 Entry: Risa Sasaki

<p>2009 Entry: Miho Kurosawa</p>

2009 Entry: Miho Kurosawa

<p>2009 Entry: Akiko Aso</p>

2009 Entry: Akiko Aso

<p>2009 Entry: Kimber Thompson</p>

2009 Entry: Kimber Thompson

<p>2009 Entry: Sam Biddle</p>

2009 Entry: Sam Biddle

<p>2009 Entry: Angela Mitchell</p>

2009 Entry: Angela Mitchell

<p>2009 Entry:&nbsp; Kaoru Tadokoro</p>

2009 Entry:  Kaoru Tadokoro

<p>2009 Entry: Karina Lugo</p>

2009 Entry: Karina Lugo

<p>2009 Entry: Tomoko Arahata</p>

2009 Entry: Tomoko Arahata

<p>2009 Entry: Yelena Kakuschke</p>

2009 Entry: Yelena Kakuschke

<p>2009 Entry: Yukiko Fujita</p>

2009 Entry: Yukiko Fujita

<p>2009 Entry: Mariko Nakamura</p>

2009 Entry: Mariko Nakamura

<p>2009 Entry: Jessica Hoel</p>

2009 Entry: Jessica Hoel

<p>2009 Entry: Lindsey Dickerson</p>

2009 Entry: Lindsey Dickerson

<p>2009 Entry: Chelsie Nelson</p>

2009 Entry: Chelsie Nelson

<p>2009 Entry: Julie Kandalec</p>

2009 Entry: Julie Kandalec

<p>2009 Entry: Shamina Di Mauro</p>

2009 Entry: Shamina Di Mauro

<p>2009 Entry: Yumi Nagashima</p>

2009 Entry: Yumi Nagashima

<p>2009 Entry: Darlene Feric</p>

2009 Entry: Darlene Feric

<p>2009 Entry: Patricia Cortes</p>

2009 Entry: Patricia Cortes

<p>2009 Entry: Nicole Aldana</p>

2009 Entry: Nicole Aldana

<p>2009 Entry: Jennifer Perez</p>

2009 Entry: Jennifer Perez

<p>2009 Cover Tech Contest Winner:&nbsp; Jessica Hoel,&nbsp;LuvNailz,&nbsp;Bothell, Wash.</p>
<p>Jessica&nbsp;selected a backdrop of shells to show off her skill and artistry. The gifted salon owner took the photo herself using a model she found on Craigslist.&nbsp;</p>
<p>"I sculpted using Akzentz Gel's new Competition White and created moons using a custom gel I mixed," says Hoel, who is an Akzentz educator and does gels exclusively at her salon.&nbsp; &ldquo;I squeezed the nails to give a nice C-curve. I&rsquo;m a hand-filer and used a 180-grit to shape them.&rdquo;&nbsp;</p>
<p>It took Hoel, a tech of seven years but first-time cover tech contestant, to create the set.&nbsp;&nbsp; Congratulations Jessica!</p>

2009 Cover Tech Contest Winner:  Jessica Hoel, LuvNailz, Bothell, Wash.

Jessica selected a backdrop of shells to show off her skill and artistry. The gifted salon owner took the photo herself using a model she found on Craigslist. 

"I sculpted using Akzentz Gel's new Competition White and created moons using a custom gel I mixed," says Hoel, who is an Akzentz educator and does gels exclusively at her salon.  “I squeezed the nails to give a nice C-curve. I’m a hand-filer and used a 180-grit to shape them.” 

It took Hoel, a tech of seven years but first-time cover tech contestant, to create the set.   Congratulations Jessica!

<p>2009 2nd Runner-Up: Sam Biddle, AII and EZ Flow educator, Dorset, England</p>

2009 2nd Runner-Up: Sam Biddle, AII and EZ Flow educator, Dorset, England

<p>2009 Entry: Airi Miura</p>

2009 Entry: Airi Miura

<p>&nbsp;2009 Entry: Akiko Horiuchi</p>

 2009 Entry: Akiko Horiuchi

<p>2009 Entry: Azusa Hara</p>

2009 Entry: Azusa Hara

<p>&nbsp;2009 Entry: Kayo Ohmura</p>

 2009 Entry: Kayo Ohmura

<p>&nbsp;2009 Entry: Miyuki Imai</p>

 2009 Entry: Miyuki Imai

<p>&nbsp;2009 Entry: Naoko Hoshino</p>

 2009 Entry: Naoko Hoshino

<p>&nbsp;2009 Entry: Nobuko Inagaki</p>

 2009 Entry: Nobuko Inagaki

<p>&nbsp;2009 Entry: Rumi Hidaki</p>

 2009 Entry: Rumi Hidaki

<p>&nbsp;2009 Entry: Teruko Ohnuma</p>

 2009 Entry: Teruko Ohnuma

<p>&nbsp;2009 Entry: Yuko Kamizuma</p>

 2009 Entry: Yuko Kamizuma

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<p>2009 1st Runner-Up:&nbsp;&nbsp;Olga Palylyk, Ornate Nailz by Olga, Surrey, B.C., Canada</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
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2009 1st Runner-Up:  Olga Palylyk, Ornate Nailz by Olga, Surrey, B.C., Canada

 

<p>2009 3rd Runner-up:&nbsp;&nbsp; Shiori Sato, Ci-z International College, Sapporo,&nbsp; Japan</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
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2009 3rd Runner-up:   Shiori Sato, Ci-z International College, Sapporo,  Japan

 

<p>2009 FINALIST:&nbsp;&nbsp;Olga Palylyk, Ornate Nailz by Olga, Surrey, B.C., Canada</p>
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2009 FINALIST:  Olga Palylyk, Ornate Nailz by Olga, Surrey, B.C., Canada

<p>2009 FINALIST:&nbsp;Miku Aiuchi, Ci-z International College, Sapporo, Japan</p>
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2009 FINALIST: Miku Aiuchi, Ci-z International College, Sapporo, Japan

<p>2009 FINALIST:&nbsp;Sayaka Tamura, Ci-z International College, Tokyo</p>
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2009 FINALIST: Sayaka Tamura, Ci-z International College, Tokyo

<p>2009 FINALIST:&nbsp;Toshimi Maejima, N-Me&nbsp;Nail Academy, Ichikawa, Japan</p>
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2009 FINALIST: Toshimi Maejima, N-Me Nail Academy, Ichikawa, Japan

<p>2009 FINALIST:&nbsp;Megumi Kitagawa Nail Salon Ciel, Tokyo</p>
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2009 FINALIST: Megumi Kitagawa Nail Salon Ciel, Tokyo

<p>2009 FINALIST: Utako Ono, Nail Salon Ciel, Tokyo</p>
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2009 FINALIST: Utako Ono, Nail Salon Ciel, Tokyo

<p>2009 FINALIST:&nbsp;Kim McGraw, Currie Hair, Skin &amp; Nails, Glen Mills, Pa.</p>
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2009 FINALIST: Kim McGraw, Currie Hair, Skin & Nails, Glen Mills, Pa.

<p>2009 FINALIST:&nbsp;Doan Hoelscher, DaVinci&rsquo;s Salon &amp; Spa, Windsor, Colo.</p>
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2009 FINALIST: Doan Hoelscher, DaVinci’s Salon & Spa, Windsor, Colo.

<p>2009 Noteworthy Entry: Lynn Lammers, Banning, Calif.</p>
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2009 Noteworthy Entry: Lynn Lammers, Banning, Calif.

<p>2009 Noteworthy Entry: Hazel Dixon, Purely Nailz, Thetford, England</p>
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2009 Noteworthy Entry: Hazel Dixon, Purely Nailz, Thetford, England

<p>2009 Noteworthy Entry: Yukaka Maruo, Nail Salon Ciel, Tokyo</p>
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2009 Noteworthy Entry: Yukaka Maruo, Nail Salon Ciel, Tokyo

<p>2009 Noteworthy Entry: Blasa Dozal, Trendz Salon, Belvidere, Ill.</p>
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2009 Noteworthy Entry: Blasa Dozal, Trendz Salon, Belvidere, Ill.

<p>2009 Noteworthy Entry: Irene Bynum, Irene's On Savannah, Clayton, Ga.</p>
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2009 Noteworthy Entry: Irene Bynum, Irene's On Savannah, Clayton, Ga.

<p>2009 Noteworthy Entry: Yuki Sekine, N-Me Nail Academy, Ichikawa, Japan</p>
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2009 Noteworthy Entry: Yuki Sekine, N-Me Nail Academy, Ichikawa, Japan

<p>2009 Noteworthy Entry: Mary Roca, Currie Hair, Skin &amp; Nails, Glen Mills, Pa.</p>
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2009 Noteworthy Entry: Mary Roca, Currie Hair, Skin & Nails, Glen Mills, Pa.

<p>2009 Noteworthy Entry: Ayumi Furukawa, N-Me Nail Academy, Ichikawa, Japan</p>
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2009 Noteworthy Entry: Ayumi Furukawa, N-Me Nail Academy, Ichikawa, Japan

<p>2009 Entry: Haruko Itou</p>
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2009 Entry: Haruko Itou

<p>2009 Entry: Hiroe Yamada</p>
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2009 Entry: Hiroe Yamada

<p>2009 Entry: Risa Sasaki</p>
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2009 Entry: Risa Sasaki

<p>2009 Entry: Miho Kurosawa</p>
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2009 Entry: Miho Kurosawa

<p>2009 Entry: Akiko Aso</p>
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2009 Entry: Akiko Aso

<p>2009 Entry: Kimber Thompson</p>
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2009 Entry: Kimber Thompson

<p>2009 Entry: Sam Biddle</p>
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2009 Entry: Sam Biddle

<p>2009 Entry: Angela Mitchell</p>
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2009 Entry: Angela Mitchell

<p>2009 Entry:&nbsp; Kaoru Tadokoro</p>
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2009 Entry:  Kaoru Tadokoro

<p>2009 Entry: Karina Lugo</p>
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2009 Entry: Karina Lugo

<p>2009 Entry: Tomoko Arahata</p>
29/54
 
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2009 Entry: Tomoko Arahata

<p>2009 Entry: Yelena Kakuschke</p>
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2009 Entry: Yelena Kakuschke

<p>2009 Entry: Yukiko Fujita</p>
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2009 Entry: Yukiko Fujita

<p>2009 Entry: Mariko Nakamura</p>
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2009 Entry: Mariko Nakamura

<p>2009 Entry: Jessica Hoel</p>
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2009 Entry: Jessica Hoel

<p>2009 Entry: Lindsey Dickerson</p>
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2009 Entry: Lindsey Dickerson

<p>2009 Entry: Chelsie Nelson</p>
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2009 Entry: Chelsie Nelson

<p>2009 Entry: Julie Kandalec</p>
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2009 Entry: Julie Kandalec

<p>2009 Entry: Shamina Di Mauro</p>
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2009 Entry: Shamina Di Mauro

<p>2009 Entry: Yumi Nagashima</p>
38/54
 
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2009 Entry: Yumi Nagashima

<p>2009 Entry: Darlene Feric</p>
39/54
 
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2009 Entry: Darlene Feric

<p>2009 Entry: Patricia Cortes</p>
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2009 Entry: Patricia Cortes

<p>2009 Entry: Nicole Aldana</p>
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2009 Entry: Nicole Aldana

<p>2009 Entry: Jennifer Perez</p>
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2009 Entry: Jennifer Perez

<p>2009 Cover Tech Contest Winner:&nbsp; Jessica Hoel,&nbsp;LuvNailz,&nbsp;Bothell, Wash.</p>
<p>Jessica&nbsp;selected a backdrop of shells to show off her skill and artistry. The gifted salon owner took the photo herself using a model she found on Craigslist.&nbsp;</p>
<p>"I sculpted using Akzentz Gel's new Competition White and created moons using a custom gel I mixed," says Hoel, who is an Akzentz educator and does gels exclusively at her salon.&nbsp; &ldquo;I squeezed the nails to give a nice C-curve. I&rsquo;m a hand-filer and used a 180-grit to shape them.&rdquo;&nbsp;</p>
<p>It took Hoel, a tech of seven years but first-time cover tech contestant, to create the set.&nbsp;&nbsp; Congratulations Jessica!</p>
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2009 Cover Tech Contest Winner:  Jessica Hoel, LuvNailz, Bothell, Wash.

Jessica selected a backdrop of shells to show off her skill and artistry. The gifted salon owner took the photo herself using a model she found on Craigslist. 

"I sculpted using Akzentz Gel's new Competition White and created moons using a custom gel I mixed," says Hoel, who is an Akzentz educator and does gels exclusively at her salon.  “I squeezed the nails to give a nice C-curve. I’m a hand-filer and used a 180-grit to shape them.” 

It took Hoel, a tech of seven years but first-time cover tech contestant, to create the set.   Congratulations Jessica!

<p>2009 2nd Runner-Up: Sam Biddle, AII and EZ Flow educator, Dorset, England</p>
44/54
 
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2009 2nd Runner-Up: Sam Biddle, AII and EZ Flow educator, Dorset, England

<p>2009 Entry: Airi Miura</p>
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2009 Entry: Airi Miura

<p>&nbsp;2009 Entry: Akiko Horiuchi</p>
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 2009 Entry: Akiko Horiuchi

<p>2009 Entry: Azusa Hara</p>
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2009 Entry: Azusa Hara

<p>&nbsp;2009 Entry: Kayo Ohmura</p>
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 2009 Entry: Kayo Ohmura

<p>&nbsp;2009 Entry: Miyuki Imai</p>
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 2009 Entry: Miyuki Imai

<p>&nbsp;2009 Entry: Naoko Hoshino</p>
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 2009 Entry: Naoko Hoshino

<p>&nbsp;2009 Entry: Nobuko Inagaki</p>
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 2009 Entry: Nobuko Inagaki

<p>&nbsp;2009 Entry: Rumi Hidaki</p>
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 2009 Entry: Rumi Hidaki

<p>&nbsp;2009 Entry: Teruko Ohnuma</p>
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 2009 Entry: Teruko Ohnuma

<p>&nbsp;2009 Entry: Yuko Kamizuma</p>
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 2009 Entry: Yuko Kamizuma

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. 

The NAILS 2009 Cover Tech contest winner is Jessica Hoel, from LuvNailz, Bothell, Wash.

Jessica selected a backdrop of shells to show off her skill and artistry. The gifted salon owner took the photo herself using a model she found on Craigslist. 

"I sculpted using Akzentz Gel's new Competition White and created moons using a custom gel I mixed," says Hoel, who is an Akzentz educator and does gels exclusively at her salon.  “I squeezed the nails to give a nice C-curve. I’m a hand-filer and used a 180-grit to shape them.” 

It took Hoel, a tech of seven years but first-time cover tech contestant, 2-1/2 hours to create the set.   Congratulations Jessica!

You Might Also Like:

Cover Tech 2013: Mining for Metals

Cover Tech 2012: An Eye for Beauty

Cover Tech 2011: Steppin' Out in Style

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