Announcing the 2018 Sebastian Professional What’s Next Awards Winners
The sixth annual contest brought it back to where it all began 🌟
The Sebastian Professional What’s Next Awards turned six years old this year, so the brand—founded in Los Angeles in the early ’70s—brought the competition back to where it all began. Fourteen finalists from seven countries had less than four hours to create impressive hair for the chance at career-changing prizes, all in the heart of downtown LA. Keep reading for a look at the winning hair and the artistic presentations that inspired the 600-plus attendees!
The Contest: Shape Your World
The finalists spanned four categories:
- Student
- Professional
- Affiliated Artist
- International
Chosen for creating exciting looks based on Sebastian’s Twisted collection, the 14 finalists had to create entirely NEW looks on preselected models for the competition. The inspiration for the new look? “Shape Your World,” the idea that Sebastian exists to enable new possibilities for self-expression. Each finalist category had a different angle, from free spirit to avant-garde, and after spending 3½ hours creating their look, including working with a makeup artist and wardrobe stylist, it was time for judging!
The Finale: Live in Los Angeles
The judges scored each finalist based on whether the look fit with Sebastian’s brand aesthetic and the technical skills required to achieve the final style. The judging panel:
- Sebastian Professional Creative Visionary Robert Lobetta (@robertlobetta)
- Celeb stylist Dominick Serna (@domdomhair)
- Stylist and salon owner Erik Gutierrez (@hairerik)
- International Sebastian artist Latoya Velberg (@latoyavelberg)
Before the winners were announced, Sebastian Top Artists took the stage for some insanely creative artistic presentations—scroll through the slideshow for a glimpse!
The Winners: Career-Changing Opportunities
Before we reveal the winners, check out the fantastic prizes:
Student
- $1,000 cash prize
- Assist at a Sebastian-sponsored editorial photoshoot
- Stylist starter kit valued at over $1000
Professional
- $2,000 cash prize
- Sebastian-sponsored editorial photoshoot
- All-inclusive trip to NYC to assist backstage at New York Fashion Week
Affiliated Artists
- $1,500 cash prize
- Sebastian-sponsored editorial photoshoot
- 2-night trip to city of choice for day of creative mentorship
International
- All-inclusive trip to Los Angeles to compete at the live finale
- 1-day editorial photo shoot mentored by Robert Lobetta
And the winners are…
See all the finalists’ looks below, and congratulations to everyone!
Watch the highlight reel!
