Step right up and witness the pinnacle of tattoo artistry at this year’s 2025 Tattoo of the Day Contest! This prestigious daily competition highlights the most breathtaking, skillfully executed, and creatively inspired tattoos completed right here at Summit Invitational.

Each day, top-tier artists go needle-to-needle to produce pieces that push artistic boundaries from intricate realism to bold neo-traditional work. Whether you’re a competitor or an admirer of ink, this is where today’s most unforgettable tattoos are born.

Submission Deadline: All tattoos must be completed and submitted by [TBD]
Judging Location: [TBD]
Winners Announced: [TBD]
Cost: $15 per entry [Cash Only]

Judged by a panel of industry veterans, each piece will be evaluated based on design, technique, creativity, and overall impact. Winners earn not only trophies and bragging rights, but a place in tattoo convention history.

Let the machines hum and the masterpieces emerge. Who will own the ink spotlight today?

Portfolio Reviews with Darl Gnau & Sage Raul

Refine Your Craft. Elevate Your Art.

Looking to take your tattooing to the next level? Don’t miss this rare opportunity to sit down face-to-face with two of the industry’s most respected artists, Darl Gnau and Sage Raul, for an in-depth, constructive portfolio review.

This session is designed for emerging tattooers, apprentices, and seasoned professionals looking for honest, actionable feedback. Whether you're working on building your first portfolio or refining your brand and style, these reviews will offer guidance rooted in real-world experience and artistic mastery.

What You’ll Get:

• Professional critique of your tattoo and/or art portfolio

• Insight on technique, design choices, flow, and composition

• Advice on presentation, branding, and career development

• A chance to ask direct questions and receive personal mentorship

When:
Saturday & Sunday, 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM
⏱️ 15-minute slots (limited to 15 sessions per day)

Cost: $50 per session
Where: [TBD]

Featured Artists:

• Darl Gnau – Known for pushing the boundaries of illustrative and biomech design, with decades of experience mentoring top-tier talent.

• Sage Raul – A master of fine-line detail and surreal composition, Sage brings thoughtful, brutally honest insight to every review.

Spots are limited and will fill quickly.

This category celebrates full-arm or full-leg masterpieces where flow, cohesion, and storytelling shine. Whether it’s black & gray or bold color, a great sleeve should work as a complete visual narrative from shoulder to wrist or hip to ankle. Only finished pieces are eligible!

Submission Deadline: All tattoos must be completed and submitted by [TBD]
Judging Location: [TBD]
Winners Announced: [TBD]
Cost: $15 per entry [Cash Only]

Honoring the timeless tradition and elegance of Asian-inspired tattooing, this category includes styles from Japanese irezumi to Chinese, Tibetan, and other Eastern motifs. Judges will consider layout, symbolism, composition, and cultural execution.

Submission Deadline: All tattoos must be completed and submitted by [TBD]
Judging Location: [TBD]
Winners Announced: [TBD]
Cost: $15 per entry [Cash Only]

This category is for avant-garde, geometric, or surreal tattoos that break the mold and defy convention. Whether minimal or chaotic, abstract tattoos will be judged on originality, artistic intent, and overall visual impact.

Submission Deadline: All tattoos must be completed and submitted by [TBD]
Judging Location: [TBD]
Winners Announced: [TBD]
Cost: $15 per entry [Cash Only]

Step right up and witness the pinnacle of tattoo artistry at this year’s 2025 Tattoo of the Day Contest! This prestigious daily competition highlights the most breathtaking, skillfully executed, and creatively inspired tattoos completed right here at Summit Invitational.

Each day, top-tier artists go needle-to-needle to produce pieces that push artistic boundaries from intricate realism to bold neo-traditional work. Whether you’re a competitor or an admirer of ink, this is where today’s most unforgettable tattoos are born.

Submission Deadline: All tattoos must be completed and submitted by [TBD]
Judging Location: [TBD]
Winners Announced: [TBD]
Cost: $15 per entry [Cash Only]

Judged by a panel of industry veterans, each piece will be evaluated based on design, technique, creativity, and overall impact. Winners earn not only trophies and bragging rights, but a place in tattoo convention history.

Let the machines hum and the masterpieces emerge. Who will own the ink spotlight today?

Portfolio Reviews with Darl Gnau & Sage Raul

Refine Your Craft. Elevate Your Art.

Looking to take your tattooing to the next level? Don’t miss this rare opportunity to sit down face-to-face with two of the industry’s most respected artists, Darl Gnau and Sage Raul, for an in-depth, constructive portfolio review.

This session is designed for emerging tattooers, apprentices, and seasoned professionals looking for honest, actionable feedback. Whether you're working on building your first portfolio or refining your brand and style, these reviews will offer guidance rooted in real-world experience and artistic mastery.

What You’ll Get:

• Professional critique of your tattoo and/or art portfolio

• Insight on technique, design choices, flow, and composition

• Advice on presentation, branding, and career development

• A chance to ask direct questions and receive personal mentorship

When:
Saturday & Sunday, 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM
⏱️ 15-minute slots (limited to 15 sessions per day)

Cost: $50 per session
Where: [TBD]

Featured Artists:

• Darl Gnau – Known for pushing the boundaries of illustrative and biomech design, with decades of experience mentoring top-tier talent.

• Sage Raul – A master of fine-line detail and surreal composition, Sage brings thoughtful, brutally honest insight to every review.

Spots are limited and will fill quickly.

This is where epic vision meets maximum canvas. The Best Back category is for full or nearly full back pieces that show mastery of flow, symmetry, and detail across a complex, large area. Whether bold or intricate, these tattoos make a major statement.

Submission Deadline: All tattoos must be completed and submitted by [TBD]
Judging Location: [TBD]
Winners Announced: [TBD]
Cost: $15 per entry [Cash Only]

For those one-of-a-kind tattoos that leave everyone asking, “Who did that?” This category honors creativity, quirkiness, and individuality. If your tattoo doesn’t fit into any other box or redefines what a tattoo can be, this is your time to shine.

Submission Deadline: All tattoos must be completed and submitted by [TBD]
Judging Location: [TBD]
Winners Announced: [TBD]
Cost: $15 per entry [Cash Only]

Whether it’s a lifelike face, an animal, or a photo-real object, this category demands technical perfection. Entries must display advanced shading, proportion, and realism that brings subjects to life on skin. One wrong line separates the good from the elite.

Submission Deadline: All tattoos must be completed and submitted by [TBD]
Judging Location: [TBD]
Winners Announced: [TBD]
Cost: $15 per entry [Cash Only]

The Best of Show category is the grand finale of the tattoo convention, a celebration of supreme artistry, technical brilliance, and unforgettable visual impact. This award is reserved for a single, extraordinary tattoo that rises above all others in execution, creativity, and difficulty. It is the ultimate recognition of an artist’s vision and mastery.

This tattoo isn’t just good, it’s transformative. It evokes emotion, tells a story, and stops people in their tracks. Whether it’s a large-scale black-and-gray piece dripping with detail, a vibrant explosion of color and texture, or a mind-bending design that challenges the boundaries of what a tattoo can be, Best of Show honors the most awe-inspiring work produced during the convention.

Judging Criteria:

• Technical Precision: Linework, shading, saturation, and skin trauma management

• Composition & Flow: How well the tattoo works with the body and reads from a distance and up close

• Originality & Creativity: Unique design and bold artistic decisions

• Overall Impact: Visual power, storytelling, and lasting impression

• Difficulty & Ambition: Scale, complexity, and how successfully it was executed

Eligibility:

Only tattoos started and completed on the convention floor are eligible. The piece must be artistically ambitious, finished to a high degree, and reflect the best of what modern tattooing has to offer.

Winning Best of Show means more than taking home a trophy. It represents a career-defining moment for the artist—and often sets the bar for the entire tattoo community. This is the title that crowns a legend.

Submission Deadline: All tattoos must be completed and submitted by [TBD]
Judging Location: [TBD]
Winners Announced: [TBD]
Cost: $50 per entry [Cash Only]