Photographic Stylist of the Year finalists getting ready for Britain’s Best showdown

The tension is building ahead of November’s NHBF Britain’s Best competition, where the winners of this year’s prestigious Photographic Stylist of the Year Competition will be announced.

A final shortlist of competitors was agreed at a judging event last week. All the finalists will be invited to Britain’s Best at the Heritage Motor Centre in Warwickshire on Sunday 16 November, where the overall winners will be revealed.

More than 200 entries were received across the competition’s categories of Ladies, Men’s and Afro-Caribbean, making the task of whittling down the entries extremely challenging. The judges felt the standard of entries this year was extremely high.

The judges for the shortlisting process were: Hellen Ward, managing director of Richard Ward Hair & Metrospa and creative director Cristiano Basciu, Beth Davie, deputy editor of Creative Head magazine, Matthew Batham, deputy editor of Hairdressers’ Journal andNicola Shannon, editor of Professional Hairdresser.

NHBF president Paul Curry said:

This year’s Photographic Stylist of the Year Competition has been the most popular ever, so my congratulations go out to all our shortlisted stylists. Whether you’re eventually a winner or runner up, to have made it this far in a competition where the standards have been so high is a huge achievement. Good luck to you all.

“This year’s competition has once again illustrated the sheer depth and quality of hairdressing talent in the UK. I am extremely pleased that, through competitions such as the Photographic Stylist of the Year and Britain’s Best, the NHBF can continue to showcase the fact that British hairdressers are among the most creative and innovative in the world.”

The competition is this year being sponsored by Sleek and Revlon Professional. NHBF is supporting HABB with a donation from the event proceeds.

This year’s finalists are:

Ladies’ Category 1 – Fashion Look (students and trainees)

Clare Hatherill, Elizabeth and Giovanni’s, Kidderminster

Emma Rae Holmes, Daniel Granger Hairdressing, Northampton

Hollie Burns, Reflections Training Academy, Bristol                

Ladies’ Category 2 – Fashion Look (all)

Ben Price, Robert John Hair & Beauty, Portishead

Hayleigh Davidson, Copperfields Hairdressing & Beauty, Perth

Troy Boyd, Emma J Steven, Birmingham

Ladies Category 3 – Fashion Collection (all)

Troy Boyd, Emma J Steven, Birmingham

Ben Price, Robert John, Portishead

Kevin Miller, Millers Salons, Bishops Stortford

Men’s Category 2 – Fashion Look (all)

James Cook, The Salon Group, Letchworth

Martin Fox, Scarlet Moon Hair, Middlesbrough

Craig Condy, Rainbow Room International, Glasgow

Men’s Category 3 – Fashion Collection (all)

Barrie Lazarou, Lazarou Brothers, Cardiff

Gary Pearce, Gary Pearce Men’s Hair, Huddersfield

Steve Clewlow, The Coach House, Wolverhampton

Afro-Caribbean – Fashion Look

Kade Burgess, Kade Cut, Bedford

Michael Damiano, Image Barber, Bedford