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SEARCHIn an effort to help owners turn in their best interior design submissions for the 2026 SALONS OF THE YEAR competition, we're extending the deadline to August 31st, 2026, and offering some photography tips.
We're extending the deadline of our landmark SALONS OF THE YEAR competition to August 31, 2026!
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Polishing off your new salon, spa, or barbershop design with the last details, and hiring a photographer to do an interior design shoot is a big deal, we get it! So we’re extending the deadline of our 2026 SALONS OF THE YEAR application to midnight PST, August 31, 2026. Access application here.
SALONS OF THE YEAR is an annual competition that showcases the best in interior design of new or newly remodeled salons, spas, medspas, barbershops, and schools. Applicants are asked to write a few short essays about their design choices, as well as submit up to 10 professional images that showcase their space.
After the August 31st deadline, our judges will convene to select the finalists for the 2026 SALONS OF THE YEAR, and we will post the finalists on salontoday.com. We will then invite finalists to submit tour videos of their locations which will be incorporated in our experiential SALONS OF THE YEAR COVERAGE.
Explore our coverage for the 2025 Salons of the Year.
Since the SALONS OF THE YEAR judges primarily assess each applicant on their submitted images, here are a few photography tips:
Professional photography: It’s highly recommended that entrants use a professional photographer who has specific experience in photographing interior environments. Salon mirrors and lighting are just two challenges to capturing the ambiance and impact of your beautiful new look.
Limit people in your shots: While we encourage applicants to enter one photograph of their owner/s or a team shot, the bulk of the images selected should focus on the design and not have people in them.
Limit the clutter: While it’s perfectly acceptable to have product in areas where product makes sense—retail shelves, the backbar in the shampoo area, the color mixing area, we suggest eliminating clutter on the stations and front desk by having staff members store their products for the photo shoot.
Thank you to Phorest Salon Software for sponsoring the 2026 SALONS OF THE YEAR!
Phorest Salon Software
Remove protective coverings: In an effort to preserve the newness of their interior design, owners sometimes leave the plastic coverings on the salon chairs and equipment. Please remove these for your photo shoot.
Undecorate: Holiday decorations can date your images. Please remove any Christmas, Valentine's, Easter, or Halloween décor before you conduct your photoshoot.
Mix up Photo Formats: In the age of Instagram, people have become used to shooting images vertically, but that doesn’t always show us the best view of your new design. Incorporate a mix of horizontal and vertical images to show your salon in its best light.
The deadline for the 2026 SALONS OF THE YEAR application is midnight PST, August 31, 2026.
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