First Ever Concept Hair Apprentice of the Year Winners to be Crowned
The Concept Hair Apprentice of the Year final is going virtual as the competition’s first ever finalists are set to compete in a new format.
Hundreds of budding hairdressers and barbers took part in six regional heats across England and Wales in January and February, before the lockdown caused the final to be postponed.
Concept Hair Magazine, which organises the competition, are keen to recognise all the competitors’ hard work and crown the winners in the first year of the competition.
The format of the competition has been adapted for this year’s final, with safety in mind.
The 45 finalists will now complete their hair work at home, work, or college - rather than taking part in a live final as originally planned.
The finalists will submit before and after photos of their model’s hair, an unedited video and a vision board which will be judged by a panel of expert judges - including celebrity hairdresser Andrew Barton, Fellowship for British Hairdressing Chancellor Ashleigh Hodges, Wahl Global Artistic Director Simon Shaw, and VTCT’s Apprenticeship Business Development Manager Jacqui McIntosh.
The winners will be announced on Instagram on Monday 5th October.
There are five categories split into eight competitions based on the competitors’ qualification levels: 1920s themed Styling Level 1 and Level 2; Prom-themed Hair Up Level 2 and Level 3; Peaky Blinders vs. The Great Gatsby-themed Barbering Level 2 and Level 3; Colouring; and Avant-garde, themed on Fire and Ice.
A winner will be chosen for each of the eight categories and one talented finalist will be crowned as the overall Concept Hair Apprentice of the Year.
In addition to the prestige and experience that comes with winning a national competition, there are incredible prizes up for grabs from competition sponsors L'Oréal Professionnel, Cloud Nine, Wahl, Bettertons, Salons Direct, VTCT, and the Fellowship for British Hairdressing.
Concept Hair Magazine’s Emily Hilton said:
The standard of competition has been excellent, it’s wonderful to see the next generation of hair and barbering professionals showcase what they do best. We’re thrilled that the 2020 final is going ahead in this new format which will allow competitors to compete safely.
The competitors taking part in the final are:
Styling Level 1: Jessica Dodd (City of Wolverhampton College), Niamh Thompson (New College Durham), Rabia Khan Muhammad (Nelson and Colne College), Lucia Cabello (Bucks College Group, Aylesbury Campus), Chloe Wheller (Wiltshire College Chippenham), Soumia Byaz (Coleg y Cymoedd)
Styling Level 2: Kristina Jasinskaite (City of Wolverhampton College), Rayna Kovacheva (East Durham College), Chloe Day (Stockport College), Catherine Martin (Central Training Group), Anne Marie Cole (Wiltshire College Trowbridge), Liam Howells (Coleg Sir Gar)
Hair Up Level 2: Kundai Rose Pearl Musoko (City of Wolverhampton College), Samantha Twist (New College Durham), Leah Gibbons (Bury College), Catherine Burgess (Anne Veck Salons), Jemma Skinner (Exeter College), Lauren Hawkins (Pembrokeshire College)
Hair Up Level 3: Kathy Gentles (Sally Montague Hair Group), Adrienn Ani (Carlisle College), Lauren Hobbs (Shrewsbury Colleges Group), Riannah Morris (South Essex College), Christina Keen (The Bournemouth and Poole College, Lansdowne Site), Rhiannon Fisher (Head Office Hair School)
Barbering Level 2: Samuel Winson (Derby College Roundhouse), Dan Ogden (Barnsley College), Adam Moscicki (Bradford College), Lucas Bhatti (Bedford College), Jack Willis (Exeter College), Jamie Bartlett (Pembrokeshire College)
Barbering Level 3: Amir Razaie (Solihull College), William Rees (Kirklees College - Dewsbury), Zachary Clayton (West Suffolk College), Jordan Pugsley (Petroc - Mid Devon Campus), Ethan Daniels (Educ8 Training)
Colouring: Sally Heyes (Derby College), Neive Huntington (East Durham College), Ryan Mossop (Nelson and Colne College), Alice Baker (Greater Brighton Metropolitan College), Danielle Louise Bond (The Bournemouth and Poole College, Lansdowne Site), Liam Howells (Coleg Sir Gar)
Avant-garde: Gita Mockune (City of Wolverhampton College), Ella Templeton (Carlisle College), Sion Husband (Coleg Menai), Jennifer Meadows (Bedford College), Christina Keen (The Bournemouth and Poole College, Lansdowne Site), Natalie Jayne Lapton (Cardiff & Vale College, Cardiff Campus)
For more information, head to www.concepthairmag.co.uk/events.
Get involved on social media - search for @concepthairmag and use the hashtag #ConceptHairAOY20