<p><strong>Hairstylist of the Year:&nbsp;</strong>Julie Vriesinga, Salon Entrenous, Forest, ON</p>

Hairstylist of the Year: Julie Vriesinga, Salon Entrenous, Forest, ON

<p><strong>Master Hairstylist of the Year:&nbsp;</strong>Silas Tsang, Blushes, Ottawa, ON</p>

Master Hairstylist of the Year: Silas Tsang, Blushes, Ottawa, ON

<p><strong>Hair Color:</strong> Chrystofer Benson, South Weber, UT</p>

Hair Color: Chrystofer Benson, South Weber, UT

<p><strong>Nail Professional:</strong>&nbsp;Sarah Nguyen, Ammon Carver Studio, New York, NY</p>

Nail Professional: Sarah Nguyen, Ammon Carver Studio, New York, NY

<p><strong>Salon/School Design of the Year:&nbsp;</strong>PENZONE Salon + Spa, Dublin, OH</p>

Salon/School Design of the Year: PENZONE Salon + Spa, Dublin, OH

<p><strong>Editorial:</strong> Dilek Onur Taylor, The Salon by Instyle JCPenney, Chicago, IL</p>

Editorial: Dilek Onur Taylor, The Salon by Instyle JCPenney, Chicago, IL

<p><strong>Haircutting:</strong> Lori Zabel, Dop Dop Salon in New York, NY</p>

Haircutting: Lori Zabel, Dop Dop Salon in New York, NY

<p><strong>Styling/Finishing:</strong> Sarajane Maples, Studio Sage, Atlantic Beach, FL</p>

Styling/Finishing: Sarajane Maples, Studio Sage, Atlantic Beach, FL

<p><strong>Men:</strong> Pete Goupil, Brossard, QC</p>

Men: Pete Goupil, Brossard, QC

<p><strong>Newcomer Stylist:</strong> Jesse Ervin, Civello Salon, Toronto, ON</p>

Newcomer Stylist: Jesse Ervin, Civello Salon, Toronto, ON

<p><strong>Makeup Artist:&nbsp;</strong>Florencia Taylor, London ON</p>

Makeup Artist: Florencia Taylor, London ON

<p><strong>Student Hairstylist:&nbsp;</strong>McKell Hird, Aveda Institute Provo, Provo, UT</p>

Student Hairstylist: McKell Hird, Aveda Institute Provo, Provo, UT

<p><strong>Salon Team:</strong> Ulta Beauty Pro Team, Bolingbrook, IL</p>

Salon Team: Ulta Beauty Pro Team, Bolingbrook, IL

<p><strong>Texture:</strong> Michelle O&rsquo;Connor, The Salon By InStyle JCP, Hollywood, FL</p>

Texture: Michelle O’Connor, The Salon By InStyle JCP, Hollywood, FL

<p><strong>Avant Garde:</strong> Michelle O&rsquo;Connor, The Salon By InStyle JCP, Hollywood, FL</p>

Avant Garde: Michelle O’Connor, The Salon By InStyle JCP, Hollywood, FL

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<p><strong>Hairstylist of the Year:&nbsp;</strong>Julie Vriesinga, Salon Entrenous, Forest, ON</p>
1/15
 
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Hairstylist of the Year: Julie Vriesinga, Salon Entrenous, Forest, ON

<p><strong>Master Hairstylist of the Year:&nbsp;</strong>Silas Tsang, Blushes, Ottawa, ON</p>
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Master Hairstylist of the Year: Silas Tsang, Blushes, Ottawa, ON

<p><strong>Hair Color:</strong> Chrystofer Benson, South Weber, UT</p>
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Hair Color: Chrystofer Benson, South Weber, UT

<p><strong>Nail Professional:</strong>&nbsp;Sarah Nguyen, Ammon Carver Studio, New York, NY</p>
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Nail Professional: Sarah Nguyen, Ammon Carver Studio, New York, NY

<p><strong>Salon/School Design of the Year:&nbsp;</strong>PENZONE Salon + Spa, Dublin, OH</p>
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Salon/School Design of the Year: PENZONE Salon + Spa, Dublin, OH

<p><strong>Editorial:</strong> Dilek Onur Taylor, The Salon by Instyle JCPenney, Chicago, IL</p>
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Editorial: Dilek Onur Taylor, The Salon by Instyle JCPenney, Chicago, IL

<p><strong>Haircutting:</strong> Lori Zabel, Dop Dop Salon in New York, NY</p>
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Haircutting: Lori Zabel, Dop Dop Salon in New York, NY

<p><strong>Styling/Finishing:</strong> Sarajane Maples, Studio Sage, Atlantic Beach, FL</p>
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Styling/Finishing: Sarajane Maples, Studio Sage, Atlantic Beach, FL

<p><strong>Men:</strong> Pete Goupil, Brossard, QC</p>
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Men: Pete Goupil, Brossard, QC

<p><strong>Newcomer Stylist:</strong> Jesse Ervin, Civello Salon, Toronto, ON</p>
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Newcomer Stylist: Jesse Ervin, Civello Salon, Toronto, ON

<p><strong>Makeup Artist:&nbsp;</strong>Florencia Taylor, London ON</p>
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Makeup Artist: Florencia Taylor, London ON

<p><strong>Student Hairstylist:&nbsp;</strong>McKell Hird, Aveda Institute Provo, Provo, UT</p>
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Student Hairstylist: McKell Hird, Aveda Institute Provo, Provo, UT

<p><strong>Salon Team:</strong> Ulta Beauty Pro Team, Bolingbrook, IL</p>
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Salon Team: Ulta Beauty Pro Team, Bolingbrook, IL

<p><strong>Texture:</strong> Michelle O&rsquo;Connor, The Salon By InStyle JCP, Hollywood, FL</p>
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Texture: Michelle O’Connor, The Salon By InStyle JCP, Hollywood, FL

<p><strong>Avant Garde:</strong> Michelle O&rsquo;Connor, The Salon By InStyle JCP, Hollywood, FL</p>
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Avant Garde: Michelle O’Connor, The Salon By InStyle JCP, Hollywood, FL

The biggest night in beauty wrapped up in late January, and the Professional Beauty Association (PBA) announced the winners of the 30th annual North American Hairstyling Awards (NAHA), the beauty industry’s most prestigious photographic competition.

The esteemed event was held Saturday, January 26, 2019 at the Long Beach Convention Center during the International Salon and Spa Expo (ISSE), a first in the award show’s 30-year history.

NAHA celebrates the industry's leading talent and features 16 categories of excellence across hair, makeup, and nail artistry, including the coveted Hairstylist of the Year Award. Over 3,000 people watched this year’s event, hosted by Adam Rippon, 2018 Olympic Bronze Medalist, and featured artistic presentations by Amika, L’Oreal, Olivia Garden, and the 2018 NAHA Hairstylist of the Year winner, Danielle Keasling.

"I trained for the Olympics just a few miles from here, and now I’m hosting NAHA right here, too! NAHA is an intimate time for hairdressers to celebrate their craft. I think the one thing you need to remember is to focus on doing your absolute best. If it is something that you love, you should try your hardest. There shouldn't be anything stopping you from going after your goals,” says Rippon.

As a proud co-founder of NAHA, MODERN Editors Alison Alhamed and Maggie Mulhern reported and presented live from the Red Carpet and the Awards Ceremony, welcoming many of the NAHA 2019 finalists in each category.

The Red Carpet also featured previous NAHA winners, industry icons, leading beauty influencers, and celebrities to the show, including Tabatha Coffey, Vivienne Mackinder, Larisa Love, Christopher Dove, John Simpson, and Eric Fisher. Guests finished out the evening with a NAHA after party at Hotel Maya hosted by celebrity entertainer, Ross Mathews.

“The North American Hairstyling Awards 30th Anniversary is a testament to the importance and vibrancy of the beauty industry,” said Nina Daily, Director of Marketing for PBA. “NAHA exists to recognize the vision, skill and passion of the beauty professionals and artists who enter this prestigious photographic competition each year.” She continues, “The Professional Beauty Association is proud to celebrate three decades of excellence, and many more to come.”

For more information about NAHA, visit modernsalon.com/naha. To stream the awards ceremony on-demand, including interviews from the pre-show Red Carpet, visit nahalive.com.

 

THE 2019 NAHA WINNERS:
 

HAIRSTYLIST OF THE YEAR: 
Julie Vriesinga, Salon Entrenous, Forest, ON

"Thank you PBA for this incredible honor. This award isn't just about me it's about my team. The first time I entered NAHA was 14 years ago, and until this moment it was just a dream."

 

MASTER HAIRSTYLIST OF THE YEAR: 
Silas Tsang, Blushes, Ottawa, ON

"Thank you to PBA—NAHA is such a creative and beautiful platform for hairdressers. I want to thank my wife, son, daughter, salon team and my photographer. I didn't expect this! This is my second time winning; my team really came through again."

 

HAIR COLOR:
Chrystofer Benson, South Weber, UT
"To win this for the 4th time is absolutely surreal and you guys know which products I get down with—Matrix! I want to recognize the mentors here tonight; the people who pave the way for us to think we can even do this...people like Nicholas French, Sam Villa, Eric Fisher, and Sue Pemberton—who taught me everything I know about color. This NAHA is for everyone who has ever doubted themselves and persevered."

 

NAIL PROFESSIONAL:
Sarah Nguyen, Ammon Carver Studio, New York, NY
"Thank you Ammon and Aida at Ammon Carver Studio, because if it wasn't for them I wouldn't have entered NAHA. Being new to this profession and not knowing what you're doing or where you're going, it's important to remember to just pursue your heart. I think that's a beautiful thing."

 

SALON/SCHOOL DESIGN OF THE YEAR:
PENZONE Salon + Spa, Dublin, OH

"Our NAHA is for our 450 artists back home. I want to thank our founder, Charles Penzone, for empowering us to reinvent our salon and to launch a new concept for our industry. Our space is 14,000 square feet where we feature a social room with a bar, a lather room, an e-beauty zone and a lot of other cool concepts. We serve healthy food, vegan options and we have LIVE walls that bring the outside scenery inside. It’s really bold and daring to re-invent yourself. You have to change. It’s hard but we continue to push ourselves.”

 

EDITORIAL:
Dilek Onur Taylor, The Salon by InStyle JCPenney, Chicago, IL
"Thank you to the Salon by InStyle you guys support me through thick and thin. Thank you to PBA for supporting us, we aren't only hairdressers, this is who we are. Thank you to my Matrix family. You guys are always cheering for us the loudest and the proudest. This means the world to me, I didn't expect this!"

 

HAIRCUTTING:
Lori Zabel, Dop Dop Salon in New York, NY
"I didn't do this all myself, I have my coach Chris Barron and my co-workers at the amazing Dop Dop Salon to credit as well. Dop Dop for life! My advice for others is that you need to surround yourself with people you want to be like, and then you will morph yourself into that. It's absolutely amazing to be in this career, to have so many people love you no matter what, and push you to get better and better. Everybody keep cutting some hair!"

 

STYLING & FINISHING:
Sarajane Maples, Studio Sage, Atlantic Beach, FL
"Styling and finishing is my life, I live for it every day. I need to thank my wonderful team. Thank you to Hairtalk and to Pravana for sponsoring my collection."

 

MEN:
Pete Goupil, Brossard, QC
"I want to thank PBA for hosting this prestigious event! I also want to thank the other finalists; just to have my name next to yours was an honor. You also can't win a NAHA without the help of a team, so I want to thank all of them, too." 

 

NEWCOMER STYLIST:
Jesse Ervin, Civello Salon, Toronto, ON

"A big thank you to my family at Aveda for always supporting me; to my photographer; makeup artist and models. I love you all!"

 

MAKEUP ARTIST:
Florencia Taylor, London, ON

"Thank you to God, because every door that closes another one opens. I didn't think it was possible, but here I am!"

 

STUDENT HAIRSTYLIST:
McKell Hird, Aveda Institute Provo, Provo, UT

"I would like to thank my friends and family for supporting me no matter how crazy my dreams may be; my amazing team, PBA, my mentor Hecky, photographer Keith Bryce, my makeup artist and of course, Aveda. Finally, I would like to thank women around the world who have mentored and inspired me to create a collection like this."

 

SALON TEAM:
Ulta Beauty Pro Team, Bolingbrook, IL 
"This is like the biggest honor. Two years ago I got the ability to create the Ulta Dream Team and they are standing right next to me today. Quickly afterwards, we created the Design team and they are in this category with us, too. I couldn't be more proud to share the stage with these talented human beings. Thank you to all of our brands who support us and that give us the opportunity to be up here. We are so honored to be here."  —Nick Stenson, Vice President, Salon Services and Trend for Ulta Beauty

"It's all about artists supporting artists and inspiring the artists we touch." —Ammon Carver, Chief Artistic Director for Ulta Beauty 

"Color in our collection is the ultimate accessory. We can bring our spirits up with color and we can change people’s lives!” —Sonya Dove, Ulta Beauty Pro Team

 

TEXTURE:
Michelle O’Connor, The Salon By InStyle JCP, Hollywood, FL

"I am beyond grateful, this is my 3rd NAHA in the Texture category. I love textured hair; it is the most forgiving medium of hair to work with. My goal is to make education for this hair type universal and help everyone feel more comfortable with it. Finally, I want to thank my Salon by InStyle and Matrix families! I looked at entering NAHA as something unreachable a few years ago. Just remember you have to jump in, and maybe fall down and get up a few times, but eventually you'll get it." 

 

PEOPLE'S CHOICE:
Matthew Rouse

 

AVANT GARDE:
Michelle O’Connor, The Salon By InStyle JCP, Hollywood, FL
"As artists we rack our brains thinking of what we were going to do for NAHA, so I thought hair netting...and that's Avant Garde—it can mean many things! I am so happy you're inspired by my collection. You all inspire me! Thank you to Salon by InStyle, the L'Oreal Professionnel brands and to Matrix."

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Originally posted on Modern Salon