BIBA Next Level Hair Competition

The BIBA Academy staff were all smiles when we welcomed Shar Sutherland Todd (Sutherland Todd Hairdressing, NZ), Tom Donato (Xiang Hair), Charlene Fernandez (Rokk Ebony), Elizabeth Tedesco (True Colours) and Michelle Anthony (John Anthony Salon) to the Fitzroy campus. The team couldn’t help but beam over the calibre of the industry leaders that our Creative Director Lyndal Salmon had assembled to judge the inaugural BIBA Next Level Hair Competition.

The rules of our competition were simple: be creative. Challenge your audience. Do an amazing cut, colour and finish but pay attention to the total look of your model, too. Our entrants were stylists from BIBA Salons and Fleet St Barbers locations across Melbourne, plus staff and students from BIBA Academy, too. There were five categories and the winner of each received a expenses-paid trip to London to undertake training at Sassoon Academy.

The models paraded outside our campus on an open-air runway that snaked from Johnston Street to Gore Street. It’s difficult to impress the locals in Fitzroy but our competition drew quite a crowd of passers-by. It seemed that everyone wanted to check out the colourful procession unfolding and the amazing hair on display. Team BIBA was thrilled not only with the calibre of judges but also the calibre of the work created by our entrants on the day. Suffice it to say, our panel had their work cut out for them.

Congratulations to everyone who took part but particularly to those BIBA Academy students who were entering their first ever competition (two of whom were runners-up in their respective categories). But there could only be one person in each category who won the trip to London and, without further ado, here are the winners.

BIBA Educator Award
Winner: Aelwen Whitaker (BIBA Academy)
Runner-up: Blashko Arsoski (BIBA Academy)

BIBA Master Colour Award
Winner: Jamie-Lee Royal (BIBA South Yarra)
Runner-up: Johnette Denison (BIBA Balwyn)

BIBA Stylist Award
Winner: Teagan Cousins (BIBA South Yarra)
Runner-up: Elizabeth Emery (BIBA Fitzroy)

BIBA Barbering Award
Winner: Sam Henry (Fleet St Barbers)
Runner-up: Lee Chen (Fleet St Barbers)

BIBA Academy Apprentice Award
Winner: Caitlin Faulks (Xiang QV)
Runner-up: Madeline Mayes (Wieselmann Salon)