57 tattoo convention awards since 2010

In March 2014, Ball BKK, then 24, won first prize for Best Back or Bodysuit at the Mondial du Tatouage in Paris, the convention run by the French tattoo pioneer Tin-Tin and one of the most respected in the world. The winning piece was a full colour back piece in an Asian style, presented on stage in front of the jury. We remain the only Thai studio ever to win a first prize there.

The win was reported in print the same year. The Scandinavian magazine Z Tattoo (issue 21, 2014) lists "Ball, BKK Ink, Bangkok" as number one in the Best Back/Bodysuit category, with a photograph of the piece. RISE Tattoo Magazine in France and Skin Deep in the United Kingdom then came to Khaosan Road to tell the story of the studio behind it, and the Hachette book "Mondial du Tatouage, sous le regard de Tin-Tin" gives Ball his own page. The framed originals hang in our studio, and you can read about them on our press page. There was even a mix-up on stage that night, which we tell in this story.

Most convention results in Thailand were announced on stage and never published online, so for many of our older awards the proof is the trophy or certificate itself, and you are welcome to see them at the studio. Where an organiser does keep public records, we link to them.

The Singapore Ink Show publishes its results on its official competitions page. There you can find our artists' names in 2017 (3rd, Best in Realism Colour, and 2nd, Best in Small Piece Colour, both Ball BKK), in 2018 (Best of the Day, Saturday, Titun), in 2019 (3rd, Best in Realism Colour, listed under BKK INK), in 2023 (1st, Best Collaboration, Ball BKK and Titun, and 1st, Best Leg or Arm Sleeve Colour, Ball BKK) and in 2025 (2nd, Best Collaboration, Ball BKK and Bon). The Mondial du Tatouage lists Ball BKK and our studio among its 2026 exhibiting artists, and his 2014 prize appears in the press listed above. If you spot a mistake in this list, tell us and we will correct it.

Every award is credited to the artist named on the certificate when we have it. Two pieces won as a collaboration count once in the total of 57 but appear under both artists below.

• Ball BKK: 14 awards, including the Mondial du Tatouage Paris 2014, the Stockholm Ink Bash 2014 and two 1st prizes at the Singapore Ink Show 2023
• Titun: 7 awards, including 1st, Collaboration at the Singapore Ink Show 2023, Best of the Best at Chiang Mai 2018 and 1st, Portrait at the Thailand Tattoo Expo 2017
• Bon: 7 awards, including 1st, Best of the Show at the Artistic Ink Festival 2025 and 2nd, Collaboration at the Singapore Ink Show 2025
• Vay: 6 awards, including 2nd, Collaboration at the Vietnam Ink Festival 2024 and two prizes at Land of Ink
• Zia: 4 awards, including 1st, Best of Color at MBK 2012 and 1st, Best of Sleeve at Arghh Warghh Yarghh 2012
• Yhee: 2 awards, including 1st, Best of the Day Black and Grey Creativity at the Bangkok Tattoo Exhibition 2024
• Mo: 1 award, at the Bangkok Tattoo Exhibition 2024
• Mor: 1 award, at the MBK Tattoo Contest 2010
• Jack: 1 award, at Phuket Tattoo 2014, won ten years before he joined us

The other 17 awards are studio awards: prizes from our early years, before certificates carried names, and prizes won under the BKK INK banner by artists who have since moved on.

A few of these awards were won by an artist before they joined BKK INK, and we count them, because the trophy came to the studio with them.

• Artistic Ink Festival, Ubon Ratchathani: 1st place, Best of the Show
• Artistic Ink Festival, Ubon Ratchathani: 1st place, Best of the Day
• Artistic Ink Festival, Ubon Ratchathani: 3rd place, Best of the Tattoo

• Artistic Ink Festival, Ubon Ratchathani: 1st place, Best of the Show (Bon)
• Artistic Ink Festival, Ubon Ratchathani: 2nd place, Best of the Show (Vay)
• Singapore Ink Show: 2nd place, Best Collaboration, two artists (Ball BKK and Bon)
• Thailand Tattoo Expo: 3rd place, Best of the Day (Bon)

• Vietnam Ink Festival, Hanoi: Winner, Best of the Day
• Vietnam Ink Festival, Hanoi: 2nd place, Best of Collaboration, leg sleeve (Bon and Vay)
• Bangkok Tattoo Exhibition: 1st place, Best of the Day, Black and Grey Creativity (Yhee)
• Bangkok Tattoo Exhibition: 2nd place, Best of the Day, Black and Grey New Wave (Yhee)
• Bangkok Tattoo Exhibition: 2nd place, Best of the Day, Color Pro (Bon)
• Bangkok Tattoo Exhibition: 2nd place, Best of the Day, Color Creative (Bon)
• Bangkok Tattoo Exhibition: 3rd place, Black and Grey New Wave (Mo)

• Singapore Ink Show: 1st place, Best Collaboration, two artists (Ball BKK and Titun)
• Singapore Ink Show: 1st place, Best Leg Sleeve Color (Ball BKK)
• Land of Ink: 1st runner-up, Best of the Day Color (Vay)
• Land of Ink: 2nd place, Best of Oriental (Bon)
• Bangkok Tattoo Exhibition: 1st runner-up, Best of the Day Color (Vay)

• Land of Ink: 3rd runner-up, Best of the Day (Vay)
• Divine Ink Tattoo Contest: 1st runner-up, Small Job Color (Vay)

• Singapore Ink Show: 3rd place, Best Realism Color
• Thailand Tattoo Expo: 1st place, Thai Style

• Singapore Ink Show: Best of the Day, Saturday (Titun)
• Chiang Mai Tattoo Convention: Best of the Best (Titun)

• Singapore Ink Show: 3rd place, Best Realistic Piece Color (Ball BKK)
• Singapore Ink Show: 2nd place, Best Small Piece Color (Ball BKK)
• Taipei Ink, Taiwan: 3rd place, New Work (Titun)
• 4th Samui International Tattoo Convention: 3rd place, Best of the Day
• Vietnam Tattoo Convention: 2nd place, Black and Grey Small Job (Ball BKK)
• Thailand Tattoo Expo: 1st place, Portrait (Titun)

• Hanoi International Tattoo Convention, Vietnam: Best of the Day
• The Bank Club Mini Tattoo Contest: 1st place, Black and Grey
• Hua Hin Ink: 1st place, Best of the Day, Saturday (Titun)
• Hua Hin Ink: Best of the Day, Sunday
• Hua Hin Ink: Winner of the Day
• Hua Hin Ink: 2nd place, Best of the Day

• Hua Hin Ink: 1st place, Realistic Portrait (Titun)
• Hua Hin Ink: Best of the Day
• MBK Tattoo Contest: Best of the Day (Ball BKK)
• XL Tattoo Battle: Top 4 finalist, Portrait Colours

• Mondial du Tatouage, Paris: 1st place, Best Back or Bodysuit (Ball BKK)
• Stockholm Ink Bash, Sweden: 2nd place, Realistic (Ball BKK)
• Samui Tattoo Convention: 1st place, Best of the Day
• MBK Tattoo Contest: 2nd place, Black and Grey (Ball BKK)
• MBK Tattoo Contest: Best of the Day, day one (Ball BKK)
• MBK Tattoo Contest: Best of the Day, day two (Ball BKK)
• Phuket Tattoo: 2nd place, New School (Jack)

• Pattaya International Tattoo Convention: 1st runner-up, Realistic (Ball BKK)
• Pattaya International Tattoo Convention: 2nd place, Best of Color (Zia)

• MBK Tattoo Contest: 1st place, Best of Color (Zia)
• Arghh Warghh Yarghh Tattoo Contest: 1st place, Best of Sleeve (Zia)

• Pattaya International Tattoo Convention: 1st place, Realistic (Ball BKK)
• Pattaya International Tattoo Convention: 2nd place, Black and Grey
• Phuket Bike Week Tattoo Convention: 2nd place, Best of Color (Zia)

• MBK Tattoo Contest: 1st runner-up, New School
• MBK Tattoo Contest: 3rd place, Best of Blackwork (Mor)

Our artists have won 57 awards at tattoo conventions since 2010, in Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, Taiwan, Sweden and France. That record arguably makes our studio Thailand's most awarded. The most important is Ball BKK's first prize for Best Back or Bodysuit at the Mondial du Tatouage in Paris in 2014.

Yes. All twelve of our artists tattoo at the studio, and you choose who tattoos you. Tell us your idea on our booking page and we will suggest the artist whose style fits it best, award-winning or not, because the right style matters more than the trophy.

In our early years, certificates often named the studio rather than the artist, and a few prizes were won by artists who have since left. We list them as studio awards rather than guess a name.