NAHA 18 Winners Announced!

behindthechar.com proudly announces the winners from NAHA 18, put on by the Professional Beauty Association (PBA).  NAHA, the most prestigious hairstyling competition in North America, was held at the Mandalay Bay Ballroom in Las Vegas on Sunday July 15, 2007.

The 18th Annual Award ceremony recognized and awarded extraordinary stylists, selected by a panel of top beauty editors and renowned super stylists, who judged more than 600 entries through a blind judging process.  Entries were narrowed down to five finalists per category, and only one talented stylist could claim victory.  The winners are:

1.Master Stylist of the Year
Dusty Simington
Salon Gregorie's; Newport Beach, CA

2.Hairstylist of the Year
Allen Ruiz
Jackson Ruiz Salon; Austin, TX

3.Salon Team of Year
Pure
Montreal, Quebec

4.Editorial Stylist of the Year
Michael Abor
The Loft Salon & Day Spa; Boston, MA

5.Student Hairstylist of the Year
Jess Zehnder
Aveda Frederic's Institute

6.Make-up Artist of the Year
Maria Nguyen
Milpitas, CA

7.Avant Garde
Anthony Cress and Kimmi Le
Salon Gregorie's; Newport Beach, CA

8.Contemporary Classic
Bennie Pollard
Bennie & Friends; Louisville, KY

9.Fashion Forward
Veronica Bessey
Toni&Guy; Carrollton, TX

10.Haircolor
Sue Pemberton
Henderson, NV

11.Salon Design
Geroge Nikollaj/6 Salon
Royal Oak, MI

12.Texture
Steve Elias
Atelier Aveda Institute; San Jose, CA

NAHA was hosted by celebrity insider and Entertainment Tonight correspondent Steven Cojocaru (Cojo).  The evening featured innnovative artistic presentations by Van Michael Salon (sponsored in part by Aveda) and Salon Gregorie's, featuring Master Stylist of the Year Dusty Simington (sponsored in part by L'Oreal Professionnel and Maly's).  Moving tributes to Jim Markham, Hall of Leaders inductee, and Yosh Toya, Lifetime Achievement winner, added to the excitement of the event.

Finally, Mary Rector Gable made her way on stage to give a moving presentation about Hairdressers Unlocking Hope, which included a video interview with Vidal Sassoon and compelling photographs of many of the hairdressers who participated in the campaign.  The crowd erupted in cheers at the end of the presentation.