Independents, Are You Ready to Shine? The Indie Pro Awards Are Back!

CALLING ALL INDEPENDENT BEAUTY & BARBERING PROFESSIONALS!

Announcing the second annual Indie Pro Award competition, from the editors of MODERN SALON, NAILS, and BARBERING TODAY!

Celebrating the work of independent beauty and barbering professionals across hair, nails, and barbering, the Indie Pro Awards will be given out during a special in-person ceremony at the Hilton Los Angeles in Culver City, CA on Sunday, October 8th, 2023, the evening before the 5th installment of MODERN SALON’s Independent Boot Camp. The Indie Pro Awards will also be combined with the in-person celebration of the Class of 2023 MODERN SALON 100, where we honor our list of “ones-to-watch.” This list is comprised of a variety of beauty pros, including salon success coaches and nail artists whose work that we feel ties in with our mission at MODERN, which is to uplift the industry, inspire future professionals, and illustrate what we believe at our core; that beauty makers are genuine, real-life gamechangers.

In order for independent beauty and barbering professionals to enter the Indie Pro Award competition, entrants must:

1. Hashtag their best work on Instagram (work must not have been posted before August 1st, 2022) using the hashtags indicated below, as they relate to the subcategories that entrants wish to compete in
2. Post their hashtags by 11:59 PM PST on July 31st, 2023

Finalists from each category will be chosen by our panel of judges and notified the week of Monday, August 14th, 2023. Finalists will be sent a request to provide additional information about their submission that MUST be completed by Friday, August 18th for further consideration. Finalists will be announced publicly on Monday, August 21st. Winners will then be announced in-person, during our honoree cocktail reception and award ceremony on Sunday, October 8th.

SEE COMPLETE RULES HERE. 

Indie Pro Award Categories &
Their Associated Hashtags to Use for Submission

HAIR

• Transformation (color corrections, makeovers, etc.)
  • Enter with hashtag: #indieproawards23_transformation
• Balayage 
  • Enter with hashtag: #indieproawards23_balayage
• Bridal (upstyles, braiding, romantic waves, etc.)
  • Enter with hashtag: #indieproawards23_bridal
• Fashion Color (brights, color block, high contrast, etc.)  
  • Enter with hashtag: #indieproawards23_fashion
• Texture (natural curls, braids, locs, etc.)
  • Enter with hashtag: #indieproawards23_texture
• Avant-Garde (experimental, unusual, etc.)
  • Enter with hashtag: #indieproawards23_avantgarde
• Extensions 
  • Enter with hashtag: #indieproawards23_extensions
• Restoration (hair loss solutions, wigs, replacements, micropigmentation, etc.)
  • Enter with hashtag: #indieproawards23_restoration

No more than three submissions per entrant, per category. Entries in this category will be judged by the editors of MODERN SALON, members of the MODERN SALON Artist Connective, and special guest judges. 

NAILS

• Short Nails (including pedicures, press-ons)
  • Enter with hashtag: #indieproawards23_shortnails
• Long Nails (including press-ons)
  • Enter with hashtag: #indieproawards23_longnails
• Editorial (designed & professionally shot for a magazine, ad campaign, editorial feature, etc.)
  • Enter with hashtag: #indieproawards23_editorialnails
• Avant Garde (experimental, unusual, etc.)
  • Enter with hashtag: #indieproawards23_avantgardenails

No more than three submissions per entrant, per category. Entries in this category will be judged by the editors of NAILS, previous NAILS Next Top Nail Artist contestants, and special guest judges. 

BARBERING

• Traditional Cut & Style (fades, pompadours, buzz cut, etc.)
  • Enter with hashtag: #indieproawards23_traditional
• Non-Traditional Cut & Style (undercuts, long hair, etc.)
  • Enter with hashtag: #indieproawards23_nontraditional
• Beard
  • Enter with hashtag: #indieproawards23_beard
• ​Artistic Detailing (clipper designs, etc.)
  • ​Enter with hashtag: #indieproawards23_detailing

No more than three submissions per entrant, per category. Entries in this category will be judged by the editors of BARBERING TODAY, and special guest judges.

Complete Indie Pro Award Entry Rules:

1. All entrants must be verifiable independent beauty professionals, not salaried or commissioned by an established or franchised hair salon, nail salon, barber shop, or wellness facility. Thus, this competition is only open to independent beauty and barbering professionals who rent a chair, rent a suite, rent a booth and/or desk, work from their home, work as a mobile professional, or are the owners of their own business and work independently, without salaried employees
2. This competition is only open to continental U.S.-based, licensed beauty (hair or nails) and barbering professionals
3. Submissions must not have been posted to Instagram prior to August 1, 2022
4. All entrants must post the hashtags indicated by 11:59 PM PST on Monday, July 31st, 2023 in order to be considered for the competition
5. No more than three submissions per entrant, per category
6. The finished look/design submitted for consideration via hashtag must have been created by the entrant themself
7. The content submitted (photos or videos) for consideration via the hashtag must be in all cases original content, created and owned by the entrant
8. Please do not submit photos with watermarks or logos
9. All entrants must have the advance written permission of any people or models featured in the photos or videos that they submit for this competition and for use in public display
10. Finalists will be granted free admission (a $129 value) to the honoree ceremony, as well as MODERN SALON's Independent Boot Camp on October 8th and 9th, 2023 but all travel and lodging will be at their own expense
11. Winners will be presented a certificate featuring their honor in a given category
12. Both finalists and winners will have their submissions featured in our digital and social media
13. There is no cash value for an Indie Pro Award
14. All entrants give Bobit and its affiliated media brands (MODERN SALON, SALON TODAY, NAILS, and BARBERING TODAY) the right to use their image and likeness in promotional items related to the Indie Pro Awards across all print and digital media in perpetuity
15. All entrants agree to Bobit's (MODERN SALON, NAILS, SALON TODAY, BARBERING TODAY) privacy policy upon entering