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Maltese tattoo artist Neil Chetcuti sweeps four golds at his first US convention
He also picked up two bronze medals for best neck/hand and best leg sleeve.

Francesca Vella

Maltese tattoo artist Neil Chetcuti has made a powerful debut on the American convention scene, walking away with an impressive four first-place trophies at his very first USA tattoo convention in San Diego, California.

Entering seven separate contests, Neil dominated across multiple categories, securing first place in four categories: Best Portrait, Best Realism, Best Large Black & Grey and Best XL Black & Grey.

That’s not all! He also placed third in Best Neck/Hand and Best Leg Sleeve, with his design being part of a hyper realistic ongoing detective sleeve in black and grey, and the inner thigh representing the case that the detective is trying to solve.

And as if that wasn’t enough, he also placed 4th in Best of Show – one of the convention’s most competitive overall categories.

Adding to the international recognition, Neil has also been welcomed onto the Pro Artist Team of Panthera Ink, a leading Italian professional tattoo ink manufacturer known globally for its Black & Grey products.

In announcing the collaboration, Panthera described Neil as: ‘An esteemed professional, boasting a long career dedicated to the pursuit of perfection. His mastery of Black & Grey and his surgical precision perfectly embody the standards of excellence that our ink strives to support.’

High praise – and well deserved!

20th February 2026


Francesca Vella
Written by
Francesca Vella
Francesca has always felt most at home in a cinema or theatre, particularly if musicals are involved. She loves to read, write, and share about her experiences of both the fictional and the real world.

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