As the Winter Olympics continue in Sochi, the Nailympics are wrapping up in Rome as competitors try to scratch their way to a first-place finish.
Some 235 contestants are battling it out in six categories, hoping their manicures will catch the eyes of potential sponsors.
Artists in the fantasy portion of the competition allow their imaginations to run wild, with themes ranging from Alice in Wonderland to Gardens to stilettos ... even a wine harvest.
Fantasy nail competitor Cristina Bea even included LED lights and music in her 2014 entry.
"I tried the Nailympics last year and I won them. This year I'm trying to make it to the podium again, but it will be hard, because I've seen beautiful work," Bea told AP.
Competition is more intense in the classic gel competition, where judges examine square-tipped manicures for length, line and decor.
"I like the nails to be very clean and beautiful, I check for detail. My job is to give them points, one to ten, based on how well they follow the rules," said Yumi Nagashima, a Nailympics juror from Japan.
Nailympics founder Lysa Comfort said the event reflects a quickly expanding market.
"Just in the US alone, we had a 32 percent growth in sales of nail polish. This means that the consumer is now starting to really take nails into consideration, for their fashion accessory."
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