The NYX FACE Awards was an annual competition celebrating emerging makeup artists, featuring a series of themed challenges that culminated in a live finale where one artist was crowned Artist of the Year. I built a custom, end-to-end web application to power the digital experience of the competition, supporting thousands of users, submissions, and votes across multiple stages.
The platform guided users through every phase of the competition lifecycle. It began with an announcement phase that introduced the event, rules, and prizes, followed by an entry period where aspiring artists could register, complete an application, and submit an introductory video. Once selected, contestants progressed through multiple challenge rounds, each with a newly announced theme. For every challenge, contestants submitted a video, and the public could vote during defined voting windows.
User authentication was a core part of the experience. Visitors were required to log in to vote, with support for both traditional site registration and social media authentication, helping reduce friction while maintaining voting integrity. The voting system was time-bound and round-specific, ensuring fair participation and accurate results throughout the competition.
I developed a fully custom back-end system to manage all competition data, including entries, video submissions, and voting results. Administrators could review and moderate submissions, monitor real-time voting metrics, and transition the site seamlessly between competition phases.
The application was built using ASP.NET MVC, C#, and MSSQL on the server side, with HTML, Sass (SCSS), and JavaScript on the front end. The architecture was designed to handle high traffic during peak voting periods while remaining flexible enough to support the evolving structure of the competition year over year.
This project highlights my ability to architect and build large-scale, interactive platforms, design flexible admin tools, and deliver engaging user experiences under real-world traffic and business constraints.
