(INJA) Code of Professional Ethics  

  

INJA Code of Ethics: Preamble  

This Code applies to INJA members. The Code is designed to be a useful guide for INJA members as they carry out their ethical responsibilities. This document is designed to anticipate and accommodate, by precedent, ethical challenges that may arise. The scenarios outlined in the Code provision are actual examples of misconduct.   

  

The International Nail Judges Association (INJA) is committed to ethical practices. The level of public trust INJA members seek, as we serve the public good, means we have taken on a special obligation to operate ethically.  

 

The value of member reputation depends upon the ethical conduct of everyone affiliated with the International Nail Judges Association. Each of us sets an example for each other - as well as other professionals - by our pursuit of excellence with powerful standards of performance, professionalism, and ethical conduct.  

  

Emphasis on enforcement of the Code will be strictly enforced and the INJA Board of Directors retains the right to bar from membership or expel from the association any individual who has been found to be involved of an action that fails to comply with the Code.  

  

Ethical practice is the most important obligation as a INJA member. We view the Member Code of Ethics as a model for other professions, organizations, and professionals.  

  

INJA Member Statement of Professional Values  

This statement presents the core values of INJA members and, more broadly, of Nail Competitions globally. These values provide the foundation for the Member Code of Ethics and set the judging standard for the professional practice of judges in Nail Competitions. These values are the fundamental beliefs that guide our behaviors and decision-making process. We believe our professional values are vital to the integrity of the profession as a whole.  

  

ADVOCACY  

We serve the public interest by acting as responsible advocates for those we represent. We provide qualified judges that are ethically obligated to protect the integrity of all nail competitions and see that they are operated fairly.  

 

HONESTY  

We adhere to the highest standards of accuracy and truth in our judging.   

 

EXPERTISE  

We acquire and responsibly use specialized knowledge and experience. We advance our knowledge through continued professional development, research, and education. We build our reputation on mutual understanding, credibility, and relationships among a wide array of audience.   

  

FAIRNESS  

We deal fairly with competitors, competition organizers, peers, the media, manufacturer representatives and the general public. We respect all opinions and support the right of free expression.  

  

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INJA Code Provisions of Conduct  

  

Core Principle Protecting and advancing the free flow of accurate and truthful judging is essential to serving the public interest and contributing to a solution for standardizing nail competitions on a global scale.   

 

Intent:  

To maintain the integrity of relationships with Nail Competitions, competitors, judges and the public.  

To aid informed decision-making.  

To standardize nail competitions globally  

 

Guidelines:  

A member shall:  

Preserve the integrity of the process of judging.  

Be honest and accurate at all times while judging.  

Act promptly to protect competitors and competitions when conflicts or problems are evident.  

  

Leadership roles:  

As a representative of INJA it is your responsibility to act and behave accordingly at all times. 

 

Act professionally at all times. It is important that you always remember you are representing INJA, even when you are not judging an INJA competition.  

 

As an INJA representative it is your responsibility to judge and score  all competitors work on the merits of the work only.   

 

As an INJA Judge you must always judge all competitor's work in a non-bias manner, regardless of professional conflicts that arise amongst the nail industry.   

 

If you have knowledge or you are aware of a competitors work during a competition you are judging, you will uphold the integrity of INJA standards to score them on the same merit as all other competitors.  

 

It is your responsibility to judge all work based on the knowledge you have received at your INJA certification training unless the competition has specific rules or scoring systems. 

 

If you are judging a competition that is INJA certified, you will be expected to follow all of INJA rules as a judge and judge according to INJA standards.  

 

You will be expected to dress in a professional manner and to wear your INJA pin at all INJA competitions.  

  

If you are asked to judge a competition that is not INJA certified you may wear your INJA pin, but please respect the rule that you may not allow the show promoters to advertise their competition with the INJA logo or that they have INJA judges on their panel. Your bio is the only place you may mention that you are a INJA certified judge and there may be no logo on any part of the picture or bio.   

 

Acceptable vs unacceptable behavior:  

  

You should never publicly criticize other judges, organizations, manufacturers companies, events, competitions or competitors.      

  

Cheating, deception and trickery of any kind is not allowed.  

  

Cheating includes knowledge of others cheating and not reporting the person who is cheating  

  

It is our responsibility to police each other. If everyone watches each other, ultimately there should not be any cheating.  

 

 

 

Having knowledge of a competitor or judge that is breaking the rules in any way or deliberately cheating must present to either the competition organizer or head judge  evidence or knowledge of deception and should report the information to INJA so it can  be recorded and investigated. This will help competition organizer to prevent as many past cheaters from competing or judging in their events.  

  

It is your responsibility to report any questionable tactics that happen during competitions that are INJA certified and endorsed. We do not want INJA involved with competitions that are compromised at all, for this could reflect poorly on the association.      

  

Consequences for unacceptable behavior  

  

Cheating of any kind is grounds for being ejected from INJA.  

  

 

If you are caught giving extra points that give a competitor an unfair advantage you will have your judges certificate revoked.      

  

If you are caught giving blatant and unfair point deductions to any competitor while judging you will run the risk of loosing your judges certificate.   

  

In the event that you are being questioned for unacceptable behavior a panel of judges from the council will fully investigate the matter before making decisions that pertain to judges certificates being revoked.   

  

All rules are strictly enforced    

 

Reward system for maintaining these standards   

  

As INJA grows you too will have the opportunity to grow with the association.   

There will be many levels of judge status that can be achieve through trainings and exams.  

The higher level judges will have opportunities to qualify new judges and to act as competition coordinators on behalf of INJA at competitions that are INJA certified and held globally.   

 

You are allowed to use the INJA logo on your website, Facebook and Twitter page. On all business cards or promotional business related material. But you are not allowed to promote your school as an INJA school unless authorized.   

 

 

Standards for things unique to the International Nail Judges association  

  

You may use your INJA judges title and status in your biography when you are promoting yourself as a nail artist or judging at competitions.  

  

You may use the INJA logo and name to promote classes for competition related courses, but you must get permission from Lysa. 

  

You may teach what you have learned through your education at INJA trainings, but you can not promote the class as an INJA class without permission and pre-qualification.  

 

Additional information  

  

Once your information is available on the INJA site competition organizers will have access to have you judge.   

  

It is our goal that there will be INJA certified competitions around the world. You will be notified all if competitions seeking certified judges.  

  

It is an honor to judge and you should not receive any monetary compensation to judge. It is customary for the competitions to pay expenses for hotel, transportation and meals. But you should not receive payment for judging.  

 

 

As a member you will be privy to many considerations as a judge in many of the nail industry functions such as trade shows. All events participating in our programs will be posted on the website and you will be notified as well.  

  

We will also begin a campaign to get manufacturer sponsors to offer special discounts and promotions to all INJA members.   

  

As INJA grows you will see many different types of educational programs that you will be able to attend and teach to others.   

 

You will need to renew your certificate every 2 years.  INJA will be continuing to update the education that is provided to help you judge as the industry evolves. It is recommended that you attend the certification course prior to taking your exam to renew your certificate. However, it is not necessary to take the course every time you renew your certificate.  

  

You will be expected to attend the advance courses prior to testing for advancing your placement within the association.