Educator of the Year

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EDUCATOR OF THE YEAR

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Entrants to this category are master nail technicians that are currently active in teaching a recognised, accredited nail course/courses in a classroom (in-person) environment. The Educator of the Year is a UK or ROI college-based tutor, course leader or brand educator who commenced their teaching – whether full or part-time – on or before 1 February 2024 (two years ago). This award is for an inspirational and engaging nail educator who is committed to raising nail industry standards.

Notes:

The educator must have successfully educated at least 20 students to gain a UK/ROI recognised nail qualification (online or offline) from 1 February 2025 – 1 February 2026.
If you do not teach in a classroom setting, but educate via online means, enter the Online Educator of the Year category instead.
Are you part of an outstanding team of educators? Consider entering the Nail Team of the Year category, too!

What happens next? When entry closes on 15 March, all applications will be assessed. Five finalists in this category will be revealed on 6 April and sent an email detailing next steps - which include submitting a lesson recording. Judges will assess this, and the initial entry, and score against a number of criteria. Their scores will determine the winner, who will be announced at The Scratch Stars Party in London on 5 July.

Scratch stars awards, the underglobe, comm by helena biggs, scratch magazine

1ABOUT YOU

2POINTS TO NOTE

3DOCUMENTATION

4SHORT VIDEO

5YOUR CPD

6EDUCATOR FOCUS

7PHOTOS

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You may check the form by clicking the form steps above. Once you click next on a page, any required fields will need to be completed.

ABOUT YOU

Name(Required)

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Business/academy/college/brand name (if applicable)

Business/academy/college/brand logo (if applicable)

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POINTS TO NOTE

Qualifications confirmation(Required)

Tick to confirm you have read the rules and regulations and you gained a recognised nail qualification in the UK prior to 1 February 2024 (24 months or more) and are currently working as a nail educator in the UK or ROI(Required)

Own work confirmation(Required)

Tick to confirm that all answers and photos you submit within this form are your own(Required)

Note: To ensure fairness, please complete this entry form without the use of artificial intelligence. All entries will be reviewed, and those containing an unreasonable level of AI-generated content will be considered invalid. You are not being assessed on writing skills – we just want to learn more about you, as a nail pro – so AI isn’t necessary!

DOCUMENTATION

What date/year did you obtain your first UK/ROI-recognised nail qualification?(Required)

Please provide proof of a UK/ROI-recognised teaching qualification obtained on or before 1 February 2025 (12 months ago)(Required)

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Accepted file types: jpg, png, jpeg, pdf, Max. file size: 4 MB, Max. files: 1.

Please provide proof of your current insurance cover, valid as of 1 February 2026(Required)

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SHORT VIDEO

Please note: A video is not required for your entry.

Upload a video (vertical, social media-style) of you speaking to camera introducing yourself. An example is below, but please feel free to share in your own style

“I’m [name] from [location] and I’ve been involved in the nail sector for [no. of years]. My role involves _____ and my greatest career achievement is ______. I’ve entered the Scratch Stars Awards because _______.”

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Accepted file types: mp4, mov, Max. file size: 64 MB, Max. files: 1.

Video promotion consent

Please note that if you are selected as a finalist, this video will feature across Scratch’s social media channels and website to promote your position. If you do NOT consent to this, tick this box

YOUR CPD

Please list, in bullet point format, any online/offline nail courses, classes and/or workshops you have taken part in since 1 February 2025 (12 months ago)(Required)

What do you do to ensure your continued professional development (CPD)?(Required)

How do you keep up-to-date with nail industry news and innovations?(Required)

Please outline any career highlights or key achievements from the past 5 years(Required)

EDUCATOR FOCUS

Tell us about yourself, including when and why you entered the nail industry, the year you became and educator, and your average working week(Required)

Describe your teaching environment/setup and how often you teach nail/hand/footcare classes (e.g. hours per week)(Required)

What type of nail industry education do you deliver?(Required)

Entry-level / beginner

Advanced / specialist

Conversion or upskilling

Business / professional development

Other

In what format?(Required)

In-person

Online (note: if most of your education is delivered online, please enter the Online Educator of the Year category)

Hybrid

1:1 mentoring

In bullet point format, list the hand/foot/nailcare training programmes you offer(Required)

Talk us through the process for the student: from how to book a course with you to what they receive pre/on the course and the support during and post-course(Required)

Approximately how many nail students did you teach from 1 February 2025 – 1 February 2026, and now do you measure their success?(Required)

How do you adapt teaching for different learning styles and experience levels?(Required)

How do you stay aligned with current regulations, best practice and product science – and how do you correct misinformation or unsafe trends?(Required)

What do you think are the biggest challenges facing the UK/ROI nail industry and what have you done/are you doing to support nail pros within it?(Required)

Tell us why you should receive the Scratch Stars Educator of the Year Award and what this recognition would mean to you and your students(Required)

PHOTOS

Please submit the following images:

A course outline/learning objective(Required)

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Accepted file types: jpg, png, jpeg, pdf, Max. file size: 12 MB, Max. files: 1.

Teaching material #1(Required)

(e.g. slide, workbook, handout).

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Teaching material #2(Required)

(e.g. slide, workbook, handout).

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Accepted file types: jpg, png, jpeg, pdf, Max. file size: 12 MB, Max. files: 1.

Classroom/training area(Required)

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Accepted file types: jpg, png, jpeg, Max. file size: 12 MB, Max. files: 1.

Student work BEFORE training(Required)

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Student work AFTER training(Required)

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Accepted file types: jpg, png, jpeg, Max. file size: 12 MB, Max. files: 1.

Consent(Required)

I consent to receive updates about the Scratch Stars Awards and its sponsors from 1 February 2026 onwards and confirm I've read how we use your personal information(Required)

On pressing submit, you agree to enter the Scratch Stars Awards 2026 and will receive a confirmation email of your entry. Please check you have filled in all required fields as image uploads will need to be reselected if validation fails.

The Scratch Stars Awards 2026 is sponsored by:

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