Registration open
2026 Ultimate Ink Challenge
Who earns the belt? Three weeks, your shop, your client, your best work — judged by artists who do this for a living.
Tattooing starts in
Register
Registering puts the entry link and the rules in your inbox the day the contest opens. You can enter without it, but you’ll be tracking the deadline on your own.
What’s on the line
Every category winner takes cash, a product package, and a championship belt. Best of Contest is drawn from the full pool, across every category.
| Category | Prize |
|---|---|
| Best of Contest (Female) | $2,000 |
| Best of Contest (Male) | $2,000 |
| Best Realism (Black & Gray) | $750 + product package |
| Best Realism (Color) | $750 + product package |
| Best Traditional | $750 + product package |
| Best Geo/Mandala | $750 + product package |
| Best Asian/Oriental | $750 + product package |
| Best Cover Up | $750 + product package |
| Fan Favorite | $750 + product package |
| Best Portrait | $750 + product package |
| Best Lettering/Script | $750 + product package |
| Best Cartoon/Anime | $750 + product package |
$11,500 in cash across 12 categories, plus product packages and belts. Best of Contest and Fan Favorite are awarded from the full pool, so you don’t enter them separately.
How it works
Tattoo whatever you want, in any of the 9 judged categories, as long as you start and finish it between November 13 and December 4 in your own time zone. You verify the dates with two short check-in videos, one before you start and one when you finish.
A piece can enter more than one category when it genuinely fits, and you can enter more than one tattoo. Upload once and it counts everywhere.
Questions
What is the Ultimate Ink Challenge?
A virtual tattoo competition open to working artists anywhere. You tattoo in your own shop, on your own client, and submit photos and video for judging. Think of it as an online convention: the same comparison and competition between artists, without anyone flying across the country.
When can I register?
Registration opens October 1 and stays open through the contest. Registering early means the entry link and the rules land in your inbox the day the contest opens.
You do not have to register to enter. It just means you find out about the deadline on your own.
When is the contest live for tattooing?
November 13 through December 4, in your own time zone. Only tattoos both started and finished inside that window are eligible.
The window is local to you because it is verified with your phone's lock screen, and a lock screen reads local time.
When do I need to submit my photos and videos?
Uploads close December 6 at 11:59 PM PT. That is two days after the tattoo window ends, so if you finish a piece on the final night you still have time to get large video files uploaded.
What do I have to submit?
A short check-in video before you start: show your client including their face, point out the area being tattooed, show your phone's lock screen with the date and time clearly visible, and state your first and last name.
A second check-in video when you finish, with the same elements plus the completed tattoo.
Then the work itself: at least one video showing the tattoo from all angles, and several photos from different angles and distances. Good lighting matters more than an expensive camera.
Can I enter the same piece for multiple categories?
Yes. If the tattoo you completed fits more than one category, you can enter it in each. A black and grey portrait, for example, belongs in both Best Realism (Black & Gray) and Best Portrait.
You only upload it once. It is judged separately in each category you enter.
Can I enter more than one tattoo?
Yes, as long as each tattoo was both started and finished within the contest period and you have the date verification videos for each one.
How is the contest judged?
A panel of working tattoo artists scores every entry in each of the 9 judged categories. Judging runs in two rounds: a first pass to shortlist, then full scoring on the shortlist so the strongest work gets real attention.
Entries are scored without the artist's name attached.
How do I enter Best of Contest and Fan Favorite?
You don't. Every approved entry is automatically eligible for both.
Best of Contest is awarded twice, once to a female artist and once to a male artist, drawn from the full pool across every category. Fan Favorite is decided by public vote.
Can I edit my photos and videos?
You can replace or reorder your uploads any time before the deadline using the link emailed to you when you submit.
Photoshop, filters, and editing tools applied to the tattoo itself are prohibited and may disqualify the entry. Cropping and straightening are fine. Changing what the tattoo looks like is not.
What if I miss the registration period?
Nothing happens. Registration is a mailing list, not a gate. You can enter right up to the upload deadline as long as your tattoo falls inside the contest window.
Who do I contact with questions?
Email us and a human will answer. Contact details go here.