The Professional Beauty Association (PBA) just announced the 36th annual North American Hairstyling Awards (NAHA) finalists at Premiere Anaheim. NAHA, known as “The Oscars of Hair,” is the most prestigious professional beauty competition in North America and honors the salon industry’s top artists who push the boundaries of skill and creativity.
The 2025 NAHA finalists represent the very best in the beauty industry. These artists have defied expectation, creating collections that captivate and inspire. To win a coveted NAHA award, artists submit their collections in their choice of fourteen categories which include hair, makeup, and educational excellence. Development of these collections often takes months of envisioning, planning, and shooting.
Collections are judged anonymously by a panel of esteemed experts in hairdressing and makeup artistry. The submissions are scored based on technical skill, cohesiveness, and creativity.
Read on for the complete list of NAHA 2025 finalists by category.
Avant Garde
- Rusty Phillips — nominated for 2 categories
- Chrystofer Benson — nominated for 2 categories
- Julia Clayton
- Jaimee Harris Smith — nominated for 2 categories
- Ruth Roche — nominated for 3 categories
Barber of the Year
Editorial Stylist of the Year
- Maggie Semaan
- Lukas Press — nominated for 2 categories
- Rusty Phillips — nominated for 2 categories
- Vernon Francois — nominated for 3 categories
- Ruth Roche — nominated for 3 categories
Educator of the Year
- Nina Tulio
- Adrienne Dara
- Chrystofer Benson — nominated for 2 categories
- Candy Shaw
- Bryant Murphy
Haircolor
- Tina Casciato
- Janelle Eyre
- Sean Godard
- Breanne Gershon — nominated for 2 categories
- Danielle Waterman — nominated for 2 categories
Haircutting
Hairstylist of the Year
- Dana Lyseng
- James Abu-Ulba
- Nicole Pede
- Allen Ruiz — nominated for 2 categories
- David Barron — nominated for 2 categories
Inspiring Salon of the Year
Makeup Artist of the Year
Master Hairstylist of the Year
- Allen Ruiz — nominated for 2 categories
- Cassie Carey
- David Barron — nominated for 2 categories
- Anna Pacitto
- Matthew Morris
Student Hairstylist of the Year
Styling and Finishing
- Galyna Poczciwinski
- Danielle Waterman — nominated for 2 categories
- Vernon Francois — nominated for 3 categories
- Breanne Gershon — nominated for 2 categories
- Veronika Shurunova
Team of the Year
- Cult Salon
- Valentinis
- Eunoia Collection
- JCPenney Salon
- Photon
Texture
- Lukas Press — nominated for 2 categories
- Eric Fisher
- Pekela Riley
- Vernon Francois — nominated for 3 categories
- Carlos Alvarez
Watch the full announcement video from PBA below.
The winners for each NAHA category will be announced at the 36th annual NAHA ceremony taking place at Premiere Orlando on June 1, 2025. You can purchase your tickets to be part of the excitement by visiting probeauty.org/naha. We’ll see you there!
