Before a sold-out crowd of more than 1,700 beauty professionals, Candy Shaw recently was named the 2025  ‘Educator of the Year’ at the North American Hairstyling Awards (NAHA). 

One of the industry’s most admired educators, Shaw became a stylist at age 16 and currently celebrates 45 years behind the chair. She also is the founder of Sunlights Professional, a maker and purveyor of balayage products and education, as well as the owner of Jamison Shaw Hairdressers, a 50-chair, 50-year-young, third-generation, family-owned and operated salon business in Atlanta, Georgia. The salon was founded by Candy’s father and mentor, the late Jamison Shaw, a former champion competition hairdresser. 

The red-carpeted soiree marked the 36^th annual NAHA Awards ceremony, bringing together the world’s top talent in connection with the Premiere Orlando Beauty Show, an event with over 65,000 salon professionals in attendance. NAHA, which celebrates the pinnacle of success in over a dozen categories ranging from Avant Garde looks to ‘Hairstylist of the Year,’ is hosted by the Professional Beauty Association, under the leadership of Leslie Perry, PBA’s Executive Director. 

Shaw’s only the 5^th recipient, and second woman, to capture the coveted ‘Educator of the Year’ Award, marking the highest honor an educator may achieve. Sam Villa was the award’s first winner. In addition to Shaw, 2025 finalists in this category included Nina Tulio, Adrienne Dara, Chrystofer Benson and Bryant Murphy. 

Check out all the 2025 NAHA Winners!

In her acceptance speech, Shaw thanked her father Jamison Shaw, a 60-year hairdresser with only an 8^th grade education who taught her that in the beauty business, “You’re only as good as the last person you taught, the last person you helped or the last person you touched.”  Shaw also thanked her Sunlights and Jamison Shaw families. 

Holding back tears while hoisting her award, Shaw exclaimed, “Tonight I would be remiss if I didn’t talk about my three children who have supported me—Jamison, Jess and Jenna—and they are here! This is what hard work looks like. This is what weekends away looks like. This is what being a road warrior looks like. I hope I’ve made you proud!” 

Then, Shaw concluded her remarks to uproarious applause by saying, “When I was 13 years old, I used to cut hair in the locker room of my school and trade for math homework. I have a learning disability and so ‘girl math’ didn’t work out very well for me. The very thing in my life that I feared the most as a kid with a learning disability was my teachers. And, now I am one. And, a pretty damn good one!

See Candy's acceptance speech! 

Check out our Red Carpet interview with Candy Shaw just before the NAHA awards show: