A person wearing black gloves is creating a detailed tattoo outline on someone's skin, with a pencil or marker.

Professional Competitions & Industry Recognition

Tattoo Competition

Competitions Schedule

$15 all other contest entries $16 for Debit/Credit Cards

Best of Show: Sunday 6:30

Best of Day: Friday 10:00 / Saturday 10:00 / Sunday 6:00

*All Best of Day tattoos must be started and finished THAT DAY ONLY

FRIDAY 4:00–8:00

  • Best Sleeve
  • Best Realistic
  • Best Anime
  • Best Abstract

SATURDAY 4:00–8:00

  • Best Bio
  • Most Unrealistic
  • Black & Grey Small
  • Color Small
  • Best Neo Trad

SUNDAY 4:00–6:00

  • Black & Grey Large
  • Color Large
  • Worst Tattoo
  • Best Painting
Tattoo Artist
Tattoo Session

The Best of Show category is the grand finale of the show, 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 during the convention are eligible. The piece must be artistically ambitious, finished to a high degree, and reflect the very best of modern tattooing.

Winning Best of Show means more than taking home a trophy. It represents a career-defining achievement and sets the bar for the entire tattoo community.