Sebastian Professional is pleased to announce the North American and International Finalists for the 2018 What’s Next Awards Competition. This year, the premiere hairstyling competition welcomed artists from across the globe for the chance to compete onstage with some of the best talent in the industry. Hairdressers at Heart – students, professionals and affiliate artists – set out to shape the evolution of creative vision through innovative interpretations of Sebastian Professional’s Twisted collection. Finalists are now one step closer to becoming #WhatsNext, and will showcase their creative talents and artistic ambition at a Live Finale Competition – broadcasted on Wella Education’s Facebook page – in Los Angeles, CA on February 25.

 The 2018 Sebastian Professional What’s Next Awards Finalists are:  

North American FINALISTS

     STUDENT CATEGORY

• Rachel Alvord, Bellus Academy, Poway, CA

• Diana Keplinger, Bellus Academy, El Cajon, CA 

• Amber Riegle, Salon Alesandro, St. Catherines, ON

     Industry Professional Category

• Keisha Mines, Nirvana Hair Salon, Richmond, VA  

• Erica Keelen, Studio Sage, Jacksonville Beach, FL

• Adrian de la Parra, Bellus Academy, National City, CA

     Affiliate Artist Category

• Jonathan James, The Harlot, Los Angeles, CA

• Janet Algeciras, Hot Heads Salon, Boynton Beach, FL

• Samantha Gunn, Eric Alt Salon, Saddle River, NJ 

INTERNATIONAL FINALISTS

• Rosallie Asmar, Björn Axén, Stockholm, Sweden

• Danny Van Tuijl, DVT Handcrafted Hair, Vienna, Austria

• Brodie-Lee Stubbins, Rokstar, Brisbane, Australia

• Harri Åkerberg, A.K.A Luova, Helsinki, Finland

• Yohann Jouvanceau, Jouvanceau², Lyon, France

All finalists will be evaluated by an esteemed panel of judges on the following criteria during the Live Finale: consistency with the Sebastian Professional brand, style & technical finish, and an overall look including holistic make-up and wardrobe. This year’s panel of judges includes Robert Lobetta, Sebastian Professional Creative Visionary; La Toya Velberg, Sebastian Professional International Artist; Dominick Serna, Celebrity Hair Stylist; Erik Gutierrez, Modern Salon Top 100 Game Changer; and Alison Alhamed, Editor in Chief of MODERN SALON. The judges aren’t the only ones who have a say in this year’s competition. The People’s Choice Award will return to the 2018 event, and fans can vote for their favorite looks on the Sebastian Professional What’s Next Instagram page.

For more information about the 2018 What’s Next Awards Competition visit https://sebastianwna.com/

 To learn more about Sebastian Professional, visit https://www.sebastianprofessional.com/ or follow Sebastian Professional on Facebook and @SebastianPro_Official on Instagram.

About Hairdressers at Heart

Stylists are committed to being the best, perfecting their craft with every cut. Wella is here to advance the salon industry, one stylist at a time. Hairdressers at Heart is a program created to help stylists develop their talents throughout their career. Our goal is to be a vital partner to salons, empowering individual stylists and our entire industry. For more information: https://www.wellaed.com/hairdressers-at-heart/.

About Coty Inc.

Coty is one of the world’s largest beauty companies with approximately $9 billion in pro forma revenue, with a purpose to celebrate and liberate the diversity of consumers’ beauty. Its strong entrepreneurial heritage has created an iconic portfolio of leading beauty brands. Coty is the global leader in fragrance, a strong number two in professional salon hair color & styling, and number three in color cosmetics. Coty operates three divisions - Consumer Beauty, which is focused on mass color cosmetics, mass retail hair coloring and styling products, body care and mass fragrances with brands such as COVERGIRL, Max Factor and Rimmel; Luxury, which is focused on prestige fragrances and skincare with brands such as Calvin Klein, Marc Jacobs, Hugo Boss, Gucci and philosophy; and Professional Beauty, which is focused on servicing salon owners and professionals in both hair and nail, with brands such as Wella Professionals, Sebastian Professional, OPI and ghd. Coty has over 20,000 colleagues globally and its products are sold in over 150 countries. Coty and its brands are committed to a range of social causes as well as seeking to minimize its impact on the environment. For additional information about Coty Inc., please visit www.coty.com