Judges From Around the World that Support Nailympia Competitions
1 Nailympia Judge
Calvin Jones
United States
Influencer| Salon
Area of judging expertise: Floor Judge
Years as a judge: 1
Number of Nailympia events judged: 1
Nailympia events judged: Orlando
Are you an educator?: Yes
Industry accolades: My nails been featured numerous times on RuPaul’s Drag Race with different queens & also on MTV with the Olay brand. I have also had the joy of seeing my nails worn on the Emmys Red Carpet. Currently I am a brand ambassador for Glitterbels in the USA.
Favourite nail brands: Glitterbels & Magic Gel are my two favourite brands. I absolutely love them to bits!
Industry figures you admire: Darcy Olin will always be my number 1 trusted & admired source of education & professionalism. I also look to Mino Vo for his incredible work in the competition field & Annabel Maginnis for her stunning art & salon nails. These three people can do no wrong by me & I will always look to them for positivity & inspiration.
Career biography: I started nails in 2018 when I graduated nail school. I owned a salon suite & quickly went into designing very mixed media nails. Incorporating hair into nails & creating oblong shapes. I was fortunate to be a brand ambassador for Light Elegance before being featured on Rupaul's Drag Race elevating my career not just in salons but onto screens.
After showcasing my work & knowledge at nail shows I started my own blog & my first nail show, the Nail Carnival, a wonderful networking event in Atlanta, Georgia. It wasn’t until 2026 that I received the honour of being a nail judge at Nailympia in Orlando at the Premiere Orlando expo, where I reached a personal milestone.
Personal biography: I was a truck driver for eight years, I didn’t finish college, so I moved to trucking. I have a puppy named Bruce Wayne as I'm highly addicted to Batman. My home even houses a full Bat Cave.
I like to enjoy nail events as often as I can & really enjoy blogging on my site, Southernly Sweet Nails. I am a very talented writer & I love to speak to people. Occasionally you can find me reading comics, my favourite pastime when not doing nails.
Why you believe in nail competitions?: I believe in nail competitions because they allow us to grow & elevate. As nail techs mostly work alone or in salons, we are always doing the same thing, but repetition doesn’t bring improvement & it can lead to complacency.
Competitions challenge us to think outside the box, work faster than we normally would & push ourselves beyond the standard set by those around us to achieve outstanding results. In an ever-evolving industry, continuous growth is essential. Competitions encourage us to step outside our comfort zones, raise our standards & develop our skills - all in a fun, positive & healthy way.
Advice to competitors: Aim to win, but fail with an open mind. If you are new to competing you’re gonna learn so much that you didn’t know was possible. Everyone wants to win, but you won’t always learn by winning, failing is gonna give you so much knowledge you’ll eventually win without trying. Because you have it in your mind what to do & it’s because you learned & trained from failing. That win is gonna be glorious & very rewarding after that.
Nail work
