Only small tattoos, maximum size A6 (10.5 cm × 14.8 cm) – The tattoo must be done on Saturday during the convention – Black & Gray only, no color accents allowed – Shading must be visible; pure blackwork does not qualify.

Only small tattoos, maximum size A5 – The tattoo must be done on the convention day – At least three color tones required to qualify as color – Black & Gray with a single color accent does not count as color.

The tattoo must be done during the convention – Style features: solid black ink, no shading or gray tones, bold shapes, thick lines, graphic or abstract patterns, tribal influences – No Black & Gray blends or gray washes allowed – Micro-shading or dotwork is permitted as long as the work remains purely black and not transitional to B&G – Judging is based on saturation, consistency, line precision, and evenness of black fill.

The tattoo must be done on Saturday – Very fine needlework, delicate lines, small realistic details, or micro portraits – Can be color or Black & Gray as long as the fineline technique is applied – The size may exceed A6 if the overall detailing remains micro-level.

The tattoo must be fully healed for at least 1 month – The work may have been done prior to the convention (not required to be live) – The artist must present the healed tattoo in person to the judges – Photos from the tattooing process are optional but recommended – No fresh tattoos allowed, only healed work qualifies.

The winner is selected from all category winners of the day – Only tattoos completed during the convention day are eligible – The tattoo must be fully finished – Judging criteria: technical execution, originality, overall appearance, and skin condition – The winner is announced during the official daily award ceremony.

The tattoo must be done on Saturday during the event – Ornamental styles include mandala, geometric patterns, dotwork, and mehndi-style designs – Blackwork is allowed only if it’s part of an ornamental composition – Full tribal or graphic black pieces do not belong in this category.

The tattoo must be done on Sunday – Large work, larger than A5 – Must consist of at least 60% color – Judged on color saturation, blending, and palette selection.

The tattoo must be done live on Sunday – Old school / American traditional style with bold outlines, simple color palettes, limited shading, and high contrast – Oversaturated colors and classic motifs (skulls, daggers, hearts, panthers) are welcome – Overly detailed or mixed-style work will be excluded.

The tattoo must be done live on Sunday – Features include bold outlines, rich color palettes, strong shading, and illustrative depth – Decorative elements are allowed – Anime, cartoon, and new school styles are excluded (they have separate categories).

The tattoo must be done on Sunday – Signature features: black and red palette, abstract graphic forms, collage-style layouts, and textural contrasts – No additional colors allowed – Judged on composition, balance between chaos and structure, and technical execution.

The tattoo must be done live on Sunday – Realistic portraits of humans or animals (full realism) – Can be Black & Gray or color – No illustrative or stylized interpretations, realism only – A reference photo must be presented to the jury.

The tattoo must be done live on Sunday – Features traditional Japanese imagery such as koi, hannya, dragons, and wave patterns – Bold outlines and classical composition – Both color and Black & Gray are allowed – Emphasis on traditional flow, balance, and anatomical placement.

The tattoo must be done on Sunday – Character-based anime or manga style with cell shading, flat colors, and bold outlines – No cartoon or new school influences, strictly anime style – Both original art and fanart are accepted (no copyright disputes with the jury).

Only tattoos completed on Sunday are eligible – The winner is selected from all Sunday category winners – Work must be 100% finished – Judging criteria: overall impression, technique, originality, and execution.

Open category for all styles – Participants include first and second place winners from all competition categories, plus artists who did not compete in individual categories but wish to present a piece – The work must have been done during IATC 2026 – The artist must present the tattoo personally to the judges (no photo-only entries) – Style, size, and technique are completely open.