CALLING ALL INDEPENDENT BEAUTY & BARBERING PROFESSIONALS!
Announcing the first-ever 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 Drover Hotel in Fort Worth, TX on Sunday, October 23rd, 2022, the evening before the 3rd installment of MODERN SALON’s Independent Boot Camp. The Indie Pro Awards will also be combined with the first-ever in-person celebration of the Class of 2022 MODERN SALON 100, where we honor our list of “ones-to-watch,” which 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 first-ever Indie Pro Award competition, entrants must:
- Hashtag their best work on Instagram (that must not have been posted before August 1, 2021) using the hashtags indicated below, as they relate to the subcategories that entrants wish to compete in
- Post their hashtags by 11:59 PM PST on September 4th, 2022
Finalists from each category will be chosen by our panel of judges and announced on September 16, 2022. Finalists will then be sent a link to provide additional information about their submission that MUST be completed for further consideration. Winners will then be announced in-person, during our honoree cocktail reception on Sunday, October 23rd.
Indie Pro Award Categories &
Their Associated Hashtags to Use for Submission
HAIR
- Total Transformation (color corrections, hair extensions, makeovers, etc.)
- Enter with hashtag: #indieproawards_transformation
- Balayage
- Enter with hashtag: #indieproawards_balayage
- Bridal Hair (upstyles, braiding, romantic waves, etc.)
- Enter with hashtag: #indieproawards_bridal
- Fashion Color (brights, color block, high contrast, etc.)
- Enter with hashtag: #indieproawards_fashion
- Avant Garde
- Enter with hashtag: #indieproawards_avantgarde
- Texture Celebration (designs on natural texture)
- Enter with hashtag: #indieproawards_hairdesign
- Hair Enhancements (hair replacements, micropigmentation, etc.)
- Enter with hashtag: #indieproawards_enhancements
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
- Avant Garde
- Enter with hashtag: #indieproawards_nailsavantgarde
- Press-Ons
- Enter with hashtag: #indieproawards_pressons
- Short Nails
- Enter with hashtag: #indieproawards_shortnails
- Long Nails
- Enter with hashtag: #indieproawards_longnails
- Editorial
- Enter with hashtag: #indieproawards_nailseditorial
- Pedicures
- Enter with hashtag: #indieproawards_pedicures
Entries in this category will be judged by the editors of NAILS, previous NAILS Next Top Nail Artist contestants, and special guest judges.
BARBERING
- Best Fade
- Enter with hashtag: #indieproawards_fade
- Best Beard
- Enter with hashtag: #indieproawards_beard
- Best Traditional Cut & Style (tapers, pompadours, buzz cut, etc.)
- Enter with hashtag: #indieproawards_traditional
- Best Non-Traditional Cut & Style (detailing, undercuts, long hair, etc.)
- Enter with hashtag: #indieproawards_nontraditional
- Fashion Color (brights, color block, high contrast, etc.)
- Enter with hashtag: #indieproawards_barberingfashion
- Editorial
- Enter with hashtag: #indieproawards_barberingeditorial
Entries in this category will be judged by the editors of BARBERING TODAY, and special guest judges.


Complete Indie Pro Award Entry Rules:
- 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
- This competition is only open to continental U.S.-based, licensed beauty (hair or nails) and barbering professionals
- Submissions must not have been posted to Instagram prior to August 1, 2021
- All entrants must post the hashtags indicated by 11:59 PM PST on Sunday, September 4th, 2022 in order to be considered for the competition
- The finished look/design submitted for consideration via hashtag must have been created by the entrant themself
- The content submitted (photos or videos) for consideration via the hashtag must be in all cases original content, created and owned by the entrant
- Please do not submit photos with watermarks or logos
- 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
- Finalists will be granted free admission (a $129 value) to the honoree ceremony, as well as MODERN SALON's Independent Boot Camp on October 23 and 24, 2022 but all travel and lodging will be at their own expense
- Winners will be presented a certificate featuring their honor in a given category
- Both finalists and winners will have their submissions featured in our digital and social media
- There is no cash value for an Indie Pro Award
- 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
- All entrants agree to Bobit's (MODERN SALON, NAILS, SALON TODAY, BARBERING TODAY) privacy policy upon entering
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