When the North American Hairstyling Awards were founded by MODERN SALON Media and Redken 20 years ago, they were held at America's Beauty Show (then known as the Chicago Midwest Beauty Show in Rosemont, Illinois, with a relatively small, but enthusiastic crowd).

"We did the awards in a small ballroom in one of the Rosemont hotels," says Jackie Summers, former MODERN SALON editor-in-chief. "It was definitely grassroots, but we saw how thrilled the winners were and we knew it had the potential to become an important event in the industry-and it did!"

Calling All NAHA Winners!
Are you a past NAHA winner? PBA is looking for you! This year, PBA is providing past NAHA recipients with free admission. Festivities on July 19 kick off at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas at 6:30 p.m. with a red-carpet reception, followed by the ceremony. If you're a past honoree, contact Bonnie Bonadeo, Director of Program Development and Education at bonnie@probeauty.org  or call 480-281-0424 ext. 3424.

Both Redken and MODERN saw the potential in the first-time event and believed hairdressers deserved more recognition.
"MODERN got involved because we saw an opportunity to elevate the profession in the eyes of the consumers, and also to celebrate the outstanding stylists in the industry," says Summers. "We were proud to partner with Redken-they had experience with similar awards programs in other countries (primarily the British Hairdresser Awards), and MODERN was able to provide the best communication vehicle, pre- and post-competition."

Ann Mincey, vice president of global communications for Redken and former NAHA Hall of Leaders honoree (2003), was involved in NAHA's early years and echoes Summers' sentiments.

"Redken's mission for NAHA was to transform consumers' image of our industry through the creation of beautiful hair design captured in beautiful photography," says Mincey. "The major focus was to get the winners' work recognized by the beauty editors and then publicized in the major fashion and beauty magazines to support this endeavor and to encourage consumers to visit salons."

Mincey notes that NAHA also took inspiration from the British Hairdressing Awards. "We knew we could launch an awards program here in the U.S.-with the intention of spanning North America-that would bring national recognition to those
who desired to express their art through hair/make-up/fashion and photography."    

Party Plans
This year's extravaganza will be a bit different than that first one in 1989. Now known as the "Academy Awards" of hairdressing, NAHA 20 will be held at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas in conjunction with another top-tier industry event-Cosmoprof. Acquired by the Professional Beauty Association (PBA) in its fifth year and held at a BBSI event, NAHA has been held at Cosmoprof in Las Vegas since 2004.

For more NAHA, check out this article: 5 Questions for Mary Brunetti.

The theme for NAHA 20, Honoring the Work. Stories. Style!, will pay tribute to the work, capture the stories and celebrate the style of many professionals throughout the years who have contributed to the success of the industry. NAHA organizers have big plans to honor the event, starting with the hosts.

"Past winners in the Master Hairstylist category will be the Master of Ceremonies this year," says Bonnie Bonadeo, Director of Program Development and Education for PBA. "Instead of a celebrity hosting, these past winners and their 20 years of success are the celebrities.

"NAHA is about 20 years of artistry and dedication," she says. "Those key elements have been built into this year's presentation."

The entertainment-always an important NAHA element-will also see some changes. "We've got an element of surprise," says Bonadeo. "It will have a different feel than it has in the past couple of years."

In addition to the awards themselves, anyone who purchases a ticket to NAHA will also be able to attend a special class taught by Philip Pelusi-called Lights, Camera, Branding. This class will show attendees the best way to create and brand their own images to enter in NAHA.

"The possibilities are as vast as the creativity of the winner," says Mincey, on how stylists can leverage a NAHA win. "In addition to the press coverage  offered through the industry trade communication networks, the winners and those who were nominated as a finalist in a category, can market their title in their local press, on their website, through the varities of social networks on the web, and especially in their own salons."

Looking Forward
The dedication of NAHA's founders and its current leadership has led the event to success and brought opportunity to hairdressers all over North America.

"As long as there are creative salon professionals looking for new and varied ways to express their art, there will be NAHA," says Mincey. "The work that has been submitted each year continues to get more and more refined-no matter what category of entry.

Interested in attending this year's ceremony? The event takes place on Sunday, July 19, 2009. Visit www.probeauty.org/naha to purchase tickets.

NAHA is part of PBA Beauty Week, North America's largest, most inclusive beauty event, offering networking, education, and professional growth opportunities to all sectors of the beauty industry. PBA Beauty Week is produced by the Professional Beauty Association in cooperation with Cosmoprof North America.