Built on Art.
Grounded in Safety.
The Tattoo Invitational was created because competitive tattooing deserved better — better judging, better safety standards, and a format that treated artists as professionals and clients as people, not props.
To create the world's most rigorous and respected tattoo competition — one where safety and artistry are treated as equals, where judging is transparent and consistent, and where every artist who competes leaves better than they arrived.
A tattoo industry where the standard set by the Invitational becomes the baseline — where every studio, every convention, and every artist holds themselves to the same level of safety, professionalism, and artistic integrity we demand here.
Our Values
Safety First
No score, no prize, no reputation is worth a client's health. Safety is the non-negotiable foundation of every decision we make.
Artistic Excellence
We believe tattooing is fine art. Our scoring system was built to recognize mastery, creativity, and vision — not just technical execution.
Client Dignity
Clients are not props. They are partners. Every rule we write starts with the question: does this protect and honor the person in the chair?
Radical Transparency
Scores are public. Judging criteria are published. Disqualification reasons are disclosed. We have nothing to hide and everything to prove.
Community Over Competition
The best outcome of every Invitational is that 60 artists leave with new friendships, new techniques, and a deeper love for the craft.
Raising the Standard
Every rule we enforce, every score we publish, every safety check we run is a message to the industry: this is what professional tattooing looks like.
Guest Announcer
Hoon Kim
Guest Announcer
Safety Standards
Safety accounts for 25 of 100 competition points — the single largest category. An artist who scores below 15/25 is automatically disqualified, regardless of their artistic score. This is not a technicality. It is the point.
Artistic Quality (35 pts) is split across five sub-criteria. Safety (25 pts) is judged as a unified block — making it the single most heavily weighted individual category in the competition. Score below 15 and you are done, no matter how beautiful the tattoo.
- All needles must be single-use, factory-sealed, and opened on camera at station setup
- Autoclave sterilization certificates required for all reusable equipment
- Ink caps must be single-use; no double-dipping from shared bottles
- Machine grips and tubes must be individually sterilized or disposable
- Sharps containers must be present, properly labeled, and not exceed 75% capacity
- Station surfaces must be covered with fresh barrier film before each client
- Spray bottles must be labeled with EPA-registered disinfectant and dilution date
- Artist must perform hand hygiene and glove change between all client contacts
- Stencil application must use single-use transfer paper and skin-prep solution
- Workstation must be re-sanitized between qualifying and championship rounds
- Written informed consent form required before any tattooing begins
- Medical history screening for contraindications (blood thinners, skin conditions, allergies)
- Patch test documentation required for clients with known sensitivities
- Verbal aftercare instructions must be given and written aftercare sheet provided
- Artist must document client comfort check-ins at 90-minute intervals
- Current bloodborne pathogen certification required (within 2 years)
- Artists must not compete while ill or showing symptoms of communicable illness
- No consumption of alcohol or controlled substances during competition hours
- Professional conduct toward clients, judges, and fellow artists is mandatory
- Any safety violation observed by a judge triggers immediate review and potential DQ
Disqualification Rules
Why Safety Scores Matter Beyond the Competition
Every safety score we publish becomes a public record. Artists who earn perfect safety scores carry that credential into their studios, their client consultations, and their professional reputation. It is a signal to the industry that this artist has been tested under pressure and passed.
Artists who are disqualified for safety violations receive a full written report of the specific failures. Not to shame them — but because knowing exactly where you failed is the only way to fix it. We have seen DQ'd artists return the following year with perfect safety scores. That is the outcome we want.
The Tattoo Invitational does not exist to find the best tattooer in a vacuum. It exists to demonstrate that the best tattooers are also the safest ones — and to make that case loudly, publicly, and every Valentine's Weekend.
Ready to Compete?
If you hold yourself to these standards every day in your studio, you are ready for the Invitational.