Judges From Around the World that Support Nailympia Competitions
5 Nailympia Judge
ELENA POPOVA
Russian Federation
Academy| Consultant| Developer of Industry Standards| Influencer| Online training| Salon
Area of judging expertise: Nail sculpting: salon style, competition nails, stiletto. extreme nails etc. Manicure. Nail art: to stiletto&beyond, extreme nail posters, mix media etc
Years as a judge: 20
Number of Nailympia events judged: 5
Nailympia events judged: Anaheim, China, Online
Are you an educator?: Yes
Industry accolades: Guinness World Records participant & the fastest nail technician in Russia, my time is 9-minutes & 39-seconds for 2 model's hands (acrylic French sculpture).
My work was featured in NAILYMPIA.
I have my own Beauty Studio & training centre in St. Petersburg, Russia.
International instructor & teacher, I have taught live courses in 18 countries. I'm a mentor to celebrity nail artists worldwide.
Trainer of nail champions – my students have won over 9000 awards worldwide. All the fastest nail technicians in Europe are my students.
International judge of the most prestigious championships & developer of competition regulations.
Founder of the International Coaching Alliance.
Winner of the 'Best Beauty Mentor in Nail Service' award
FOUNDER OF THE WORLD'S FIRST EXHIBITION PROJECT - 'MANICURE AS AN ART'
1st place - coach of the Best Nail Service Team at the World Hairdressing & Nail Service Championship by G.Kot (November 2025)
Favourite nail brands: CND, NFU, Akzentz, NORICO, ASTONISHING NAILS, LIGHT ELEGANCE & more...
Industry figures you admire: Alex Fox, Olena Oezman, Tracey Lee, Jan Arnold, Cecilia Gimenez, Stefanie Lo Re, Galina Zelenova, Natalia Isakova, Elena Maltseva, Linn Himberg-Larsen, Tatiana Litvinov & many others! I admire & am inspired by so many of my colleagues, but I'm afraid I can't mention them all because there's a character limit here :)
Career biography: I started my career while I was studying at university & living on campus. The French TV series 'Hélène et les Hommes', was popular at the time & all my friends at university wanted a manicure like the main character, and I did it! It turned out to be really interesting doing this, so I went to study nail extensions at Ole House, the most serious nail school in Russia at the time. I immediately started participating in competitions, it was the best start! In 2007, I opened my own school in Russia & since then I've been training nail technicians for championships all over the world. I've given many lessons to nail technicians in different countries & have served as a speaker & judge at top championships. My superpower is that I can train nail technicians for both technical disciplines (French, stiletto) & creative ones (art, extreme forms, posters, etc.). I founded & currently run the International Trainers Alliance & have trained trainers in Russia, Italy, Turkey, the USA & Mexico.
Personal biography: I graduated from art school & love art, visiting exhibitions & museums, especially anything related to decorative & applied arts. I love classical music & often attend concerts. I have a keen interest in everything related to fashion, its history & style.
Why you believe in nail competitions?: I'm convinced that competitions are the best tool for a nail technician's rapid professional growth! And they're a gateway to a true community of professionals & experts.
Advice to competitors: Participate, try, don't be afraid, don't wait for the 'right moment'! And know that everyone will have their moment, don't give up. Remember, you can't be born a champion, but you can become one.
Nail work
