NAHA 2013 was easily one of the best shows EVER in the salon industry. It was a true celebration of the talents of our salon professionals, with artists from coast to coast taking home the top honor. There was high energy, a perfect flow from the red carpet to the awards presentation and joy for and from the finalists and winners.

There is so much curiosity about the judges and the judging process that we decided to get to the bottom of it. Brad Masterson, Communications Manager with the PBA (Professional Beauty Association) and Vice President of Y Public Relations, works with the NAHA committee who selects the judges and work to ensure the overall integrity of the blind and fair judging process.

"PBA goes to extensive lengths to make sure that the process is completely fair," he says. "We select the best judges from around the world, and no one judge judges all the categories.

"NAHA allows anybody to enter," he continues. "The competition gives everyone a chance and it can be a career changer."

This year there were two new categories: Men and Make Up, and Brad says there may be new or tweaked categories for the 25th anniversary awards show next year.

Brad offers a brief overview of the judge selection and judging process in this short video. For more information about NAHA, go to: Probeauty.org/NAH.