Tattoo Contest Guidelines

  • The tattoo you’re entering must meet the minimum requirements for the category that you’re entering.
  • Artists are welcome to enter the same tattoo into multiple categories as long as the minimum requirements for each category is met.
  • Both healed and fresh tattoos are welcome to be entered into all categories with the exception of Best of Day and Best of Show. 
  • Best of Day must be started and completed all in one day and Best of Show must be started and completed at the expo. 
  • If you are entering multiple tattoos into the same category, be sure to notify judges that they are to be judged separately to avoid confusion.
  • There is a $10.00 cash fee for each individual contest entry. Payment will be taken at the registration booth throughout the entirety of the expo. All entries are non-refundable.
  • Artists need not be present to compete, however, the tattoo MUST be present at the time of judging to be considered.

Minimum Requirements for each contest:

Friday
  • Best Texas: must incorporate anything that is thematically on brand to the state of Texas. Creativity will play a large role in how this category is judged. 
  • Best Watercolor: the tattoo must mimic the effect of natural watercolor gradients. 
  • Best Lettering: must be hand-drawn lettering.
  • Best Wildlife: must contain any kind of mammal, bird, fish, reptile, amphibian or insects. 
  • Best Horror: must depict supernatural, surreal or spooky/scary imagery.
  • Best Video Game: must contain imagery relative to characters and/or settings that originated as video games.

Saturday
  • Best Black & Grey: must only contain black and gray wash with minimal white highlights, no color or opaque grays. 
  • Best Color: can be done in any style, but must contain color.
  • Best Neo-traditional: can be B&G, color, or both. Allows for a variation of line weights and color palette. 
  • Best Traditional: must use a single-line weight with bold, black outlines and shading, as well as a limited color palette.
  • Best Anime: must contain imagery relative to characters and/or settings that originated as animes and/or mangas. 
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Sunday​
  • Best Skull: must have a human or animal skull as the focal point of the tattoo, can be done in any style.
  • Best Religious: must contain religious imagery or symbolism, can be any style or religion.
  • Best Traditional Japanese: must feature motifs from Japanese history, folklore or mythology and must have high contrast, strong line work, and a background that compliments and contrasts the foreground.
  • Best Geometric/Ornamental: must contain some form of repetitive pattern or geometric shapes. Can be done in color or B&G, with or without line work and with or without shading. 
  • Best Realism Portrait: must be a photo-realistic depiction of a person. Please note that the photo reference must be present at the time of judging. 
  • Best Floral: the focal point of the tattoo must contain flowers, can be in any style, in B&G or color.
  • Best Full Chest/Back: must cover at minimum 2/3 of the chest or back. Can be done in any style, in B&G, color or both.
  • Best Arm/Leg Sleeve: must cover at minimum 2/3 of the arm or leg. Can be done in any style in B&G, color or both.
 
Tattoo of the Day: must start and end the tattoo in a single day at the expo. No part of the tattoo can be healed, this will result in disqualification. Clients must present stencil to the registration booth prior to beginning the tattoo. 
Best of Show: must start and end the tattoo at the expo. Clients must present stencil to  the registration booth prior to beginning the tattoo.

Judging Criteria

  • Judges will vote based on the following criteria: cleanliness, composition, creativity, technical difficulty and placement. 
  • The overall cleanliness of your tattoo will be looked at carefully by each judge. Inconsistencies such as blowouts, shaky line work, patchy shading and scarring will affect the outcome of the competition. Any part of the tattoo that has the appearance of being incomplete will also affect the ranking of your tattoo.
  • The tattoo’s composition must demonstrate the minimum requirements of its respective category and show an understanding of contrast, value, depth and structure, as well as maintain readability at a distance.
  • Ideally, the tattoo should complement the area of the body it’s placed on and should flow with the natural curves of the body. 
  • Artists should take note that more creative/unique concepts are more likely to catch the judges attention. 
  • Every tattoo will be judged based on this criteria comprehensively and cumulatively. We are looking to award artists that can produce the most well rounded tattoos overall. 
Note: We understand that art is subjective and judges opinions can vary, however these guidelines are put in place to eliminate as much bias as possible. Artists remain anonymous to ensure fair judging as we strive to create an atmosphere of healthy competition.