Acne: “one size fits one”
David Valenzuela, founder and CEO of WISH Skin Health, has worked in the field since 1995. His standard for Acne judging, stated plainly on the panel: “One size fits one. Every person is unique; their skin, ecosystem, and microbiome are unique to them.” He judges alongside Lynn Ross, one of the first licensed estheticians in the United States (licensed in 1982), who created a full glycolic acid product line in 1994 and has been teaching ever since, and Elizabeth McKenzie, a former Skin Games player turned judge who specializes in acne and compromised barriers from both a technical and emotional-recovery standpoint. The panel’s moderator, Kelly Wolcott, TSG’s Director of Judges, built her own career on this category: she became an esthetician after struggling with postpartum hormonal acne herself. The throughline across all three judges: acne scoring rewards a treatment plan built for the specific person in front of you, not a generic protocol applied the same way every time.
Compromised Skin: fix the barrier before anything else
Aggie Singh, a reigning TSG Esthetician of the Year judging from the UK, frames Compromised Skin scoring around a simple analogy: if your roof is leaking, you don’t start by replacing the carpets. Most skin conditions, in her view, live in the epidermal barrier, and no treatment matters until that barrier is intact. Robin Lee, a South Carolina esthetician licensed since 1991 who built a 30-year microcurrent-focused practice before a repetitive-strain injury ended her hands-on career, judges alongside her. Elaine Sterling, founder of the Elaine Sterling Institute in Atlanta (now 500+ students and 68 employees), rounds out the panel and points to a real shift she’s watching across the industry: less trauma-based, more biomimicry-based treatment, working with the skin’s own repair systems instead of constantly re-injuring it to force a result.
Compassion: judged on generosity, not just skill
From the very first installment of the Judges’ Insight Series: Geralyn O’Brien, a three-time cancer survivor who won the Compassion category in 2020 before becoming its judge, and Holly Brown, who co-created the category and runs a nonprofit treating skin side effects of cancer treatment across seven locations. One story from that panel: a man in Missouri with radiation burns so severe his six-year-old daughter was afraid to come near him. A few weeks into treatment, she told her mother he looked “handsome.” The prize structure is real and split two ways: up to $10,000 and $5,000 for entries playing on behalf of a registered nonprofit, and $3,500 for self-funded personal give-back entries. A full spotlight on this category, paired with Paramedical Tattoo, is coming in Week 12.
Facial Massage: the numbers and the philosophy agree
Also from that first installment: Zen Miller, who blends fitness, massage, and holistic modalities into original techniques, and Elaine Sterling, judging her second category on this list. Zen independently confirmed, in her own words, the same structure behind the sport’s published rubric, 100 points across five categories at 20 points each: Flow, Expertise, Innovation, Ergonomics, and Professionalism. One real rules change worth knowing now if you’re prepping early: intraoral technique, allowed in past seasons, has since been banned. A full breakdown of this category is coming in Week 10.
Holistic: three very different definitions of the same word
Moderated by Dominique Brandt, herself a past TSG Esthetician of the Year (and the original author of the case study guide on this blog), this panel made one thing clear: “holistic” means something different to nearly every judge who claims it. Lynn Leaport, a Massachusetts esthetician and nationally certified reflexologist, ties her holistic approach to farm life and daily meditation. Brooke Kennedy, who studied molecular cell biology at the University of Washington before a layoff pushed her into esthetics, won this category three years running as a competitor before becoming its judge, and describes her philosophy as “holistic meets clinical.” Melissa Charter, a former math teacher who came to esthetics through direct sales before getting licensed in 2010, now works as an account executive rather than in the treatment room. The panel’s shared advice for competitors: don’t assume you already know what “holistic” has to mean in this category. Stay open to a definition that isn’t your own.
Pigmentation: consistency over aggression
Nadia Vanderhoff came to the United States and learned English partly through esthetics school, translating her textbook word by word with a dictionary. Her Pigmentation philosophy in three words: consistency, science, protection. Sophia Wixon, who built her practice around cryotherapy before adding radio-frequency microneedling and IPL, echoed the same caution from a different angle: a gentler, more repeatable approach to brightening treatments outperforms one aggressive session, and standard Fitzpatrick screening tools can miss people who read as lighter than their actual reactivity. Both judges independently warned against treating pigmentation like a single-session fix.
Open: two very different roads to the same category
Jessica Johnson, an Omaha, Nebraska esthetician who left an abusive marriage in her 40s and discovered esthetics school five months later, treated her own teenage sons’ acne as her first real clients. Angel Flener, known as “the skin coach” in Arizona, won first place in Open Medical in an earlier season before moving to the judge’s side of the table. Their shared advice to Open competitors: find your niche early, keep investing in continuing education every year without exception, and don’t be afraid to reach out directly to the people behind the products and techniques you’re using. Both stressed that Open rewards competitors who can clearly explain why they made the choices they made, not just what they did.
New Esthetician: showing up matters
One judge on this panel, Davianne, director of education, phoned into her own panel segment from a hospital bed dealing with a kidney concern rather than miss it. Her category favorite is chemical peels, specifically matching the acid to the individual’s skin type and condition rather than reaching for a default. It’s a small detail, but a telling one: competitors in this category are being watched by judges who show up for the community even under real personal difficulty.
Waxing: technique before speed
Jessica Young, known for the Horseshoe Brazilian method, judges alongside Tara “Tera” Whiter, the Skin Games’ two-time #1 Brazilian wax artist and a past Waxer of the Year, and Julio, who specializes in men’s hair removal in Chicago. Tara’s clearest point: speed waxing only works once the fundamentals are automatic, not before. A full category spotlight, paired with Sugaring, publishes in Week 5.
Sugaring: a real technical edge, not just a gentler brand story
Amber Franklin, a 20-year sugarist affiliated with Sugar of the Nile, makes a specific technical case for the category: sugar paste applied near body temperature produces a measurably lower histamine response than hot wax, because there’s no heat spike to trigger the body’s trauma signal. Dalia Wagley, an 18-year sugaring educator and former Skin Games contestant herself, and Rashida Loharsingh, founder of Caribbean Candy Professional Sugaring with a background in chemistry and cosmetic formulation, round out the panel. Dalia’s line for anyone hesitant to add the skill: “you have to learn to earn.” The full Waxing and Sugaring spotlight publishes in Week 5.
Lash & Brow: build the foundation before you chase speed
Two different judges, two different formats. Kimberly Morfin, founder of Artistry Beauty in Houston, judges the case-study side of Lash & Brow and has said her standard is “critique that makes people better, not smaller,” with a focus on precision, hygiene, and creativity that’s backed by real skill. Julio, who also judges Waxing, judges the live Lash Lift and Brow Lamination portion, which runs as an in-person competition at the event itself rather than a video submission. His scoring focus is foundational: correct rod placement and adhesive application before anything else, since a flawed base undoes an otherwise good lift. His rule of thumb for competitors building the skill: expect to need roughly fifty reps before it’s reliable. Full detail on this category runs in Week 7.
The pattern across eleven categories
Line up all of it, Acne to Sugaring, and the same three things keep surfacing regardless of category: judges reward a treatment built for the specific person in front of them over a generic protocol; barrier health, safety, and foundational technique are treated as non-negotiable before creativity gets scored at all; and the judges who’ve competed themselves consistently name the exact thing they wish someone had told them before they did.
This season is bigger than any one panel
For everything else that’s changed heading into 2026–27, from ticket tiers to every competition path, see the full season guide.