The Goldwell Expert Panel has announced the U.S. finalists for the 2019 Goldwell Color Zoom Challenge.

Colorists from across the country submitted entries for one of the three Color Zoom Challenge categories –Creative Artist, New Talent Artist and Partner Artist. Entrants were challenged to use the brand’s latest hair collection, Remix, for their inspiration and interpretation of their own style and look.

In June, applicants were narrowed to 15 semi-finalists by a panel of industry expert panelists. Following the semi-finalist round, the Goldwell Hair Color Global judges’ panel, including MODERN's Beauty and Fashion Director Maggie Mulhern, selected three gold, silver and bronze U.S. finalists, one for each category.

2019 U.S. Gold Finalists include: 

• Creative Artist, Sarajane Maples of Studio Sage (Jacksonville Beach, FL)

• New Talent Artist, Alicia Perez of The Hair Company (Nashua, NH)

• Partner Artist, Kylie Bussing of The Hair Company (Nashua, NH)

All three national gold finalists will have the honor of competing live on behalf of the United States in the Color Zoom 2019 International Competition at Global Zoom in Vienna, Austria in September. There, contestants will have the opportunity to demonstrate their creativity and compete against other gold finalists from around the world for a spot to work on an upcoming collection.

Silver Finalists include:

• Creative Artist, Sharon Majano of Trademark Salon (Houston, TX)

• New Talent Artist, Crystal Martinez of Salon Matos (Spring, TX)

• Partner Artist, Carlos Alvarez of Trademark Salon (Houston, TX)

Bronze Finalists include:

• Creative Artist, Charles Tant of The Upper Hand (Houston, TX)

• New Talent Artist, Kassi Kapuga of Tricho Salon and Spa (Ann Arbor, MI)

• and Partner Artist, Rob Burgio of Tesoro Salon (Snyder, NY)

Finally, the Color Zoom Challenge will include the fifth annual Stylists’ Favorites Award, which allows people from all over the world to vote online for their favorite Gold competitor in each category. Voting will be held from September 1-15,2019 on www.goldwell.com/stylistsfavorite, and winners will be announced onstage during the Global Zoom Gala Show at the end of September.