The 2026 Contessa Awards celebrated the very best of the Canadian professional beauty industry on Sunday, November 16, 2025, with a dazzling night of unforgettable moments.
Hosted at the Westin Harbour Castle in Toronto, the evening kicked off with a lively cocktail party featuring red carpet interviews in which Salon chatted with Contessa finalists, sponsors, guests and more.
Guests enjoyed fun photo booths from Schwarzkopf Professional and Pravana, while Oligo Professionnel hosted a special cocktail bar offering complimentary drinks to the first 250 attendees.
In the centre of the room was a special activation by Pascal & Jeremie, who co-produced this year’s event with Salon, and featured a model covered in reflective mirrors, bringing to life the theme of this year’s event, Multifaceted.
The awards gala began with an edgy, punk-rock-inspired show opener by Peter Gosling for Glassbox Education, supported by Redken, that featured a variety of barbering cuts and gender-neutral styles that showcased a wide range of techniques from the salon to the barbershop.
This year’s gala co-hosts Palma N’Sheluvzit and Sal Leonetti kicked off the evening by welcoming attendees and announcing the first winner of the night for the John Steinberg Award for Community Service. Congratulations to this year’s recipient, Capucci Salon from Toronto!
During the three-course gala dinner, two more awards were presented, including the brand-new Barber of the Year award, which went to Anica Iordache of Modmop Hairdressing in Ottawa, who also took home the award for Men’s Hairstylist.
Renowned, award-winning hairstylist and Aveda’s senior vice president of global artistry Antoinette Beenders presented her show-stopping, water-inspired collection, Abyssal, featuring bold, graphic haircuts that echoed the shapes and silhouettes of stunning sea creatures.
As the awards ceremony continued, the room erupted in applause, cheers and emotion as the sponsors and presenters announced the winners, who each took the stage to deliver heartfelt acceptance speeches.
Previous Contessa award–winning hairstylist Lukas Press took the stage to debut the trailer for his upcoming documentary, HairStory, an inspiring look at the unique bond between stylists and their clients.
The awards portion of the night continued with some spectacular wins by Vancouver-based Suki’s Salon: Mai Nguyen won the Emerging Colourist award and James Valiant earned the title of British Columbia Hairstylist.
The final presentation of the night came all the way from Madrid, Spain, as Jorge X, co-founder of X-presion Creativos, made his Canadian debut to premiere his latest project, Quantum Hair, alongside the global team, including Canadian hairstylists Norm Wright, Antonio Quintieri and Monia Grieco. Known for his signature pixel-colouring techniques, Jorge X and the team showcased a range of bold colours and avant-garde styles that blend hairdressing with technology and AI.
Two of the night’s most prestigious awards went to Vancouver-based salon owner Armineh Damanpak, who took home the coveted Canadian Colourist of the Year title. Her salon, Beau Salon, also retained its title of Canadian Salon Team of the Year award for a second consecutive year.
The award for Canadian Hairstylist of the Year went to Erin Fernandes of Bon Bon Salon in London, Ont.
“I have worked for this for over 25 years,” says Fernandes. “It finally happened. Thank you! Congratulations to everybody in this room.”
Other top honours included Robin LaChance from Tinted Love Hair Studio in Barrie, Ont., who won both Elite Master Hairstylist and Session Hairstylist.
Following the awards ceremony, guests headed downstairs to the Frontenac Ballroom to celebrate at Club Contessa, powered by Elevate Hair. Hosted by Elevate Hair founder and seasoned hairstylist Tatum Neill, the official afterparty was transformed into a creative playground where local hairstylists showcased their talent live on stage, giving guests an extra dose of inspiration and motivation to fuel their creativity and artistry.
Congratulations to all the Contessa 2026 winners and finalists! A special thank-you to our sponsors, judges and attendees for their continued support in making this night the largest and most prestigious celebration of Canadian professional beauty.
To watch the full livestream of the 2026 Contessa Awards, click here.
Comments are closed.