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IBE Virtual Awards 2026 award seal

The IBE®
Virtual Awards are officially here.

A celebration of craftsmanship, artistry, and the stylists shaping the future of modern extensions. Submissions open September 14 - October 26. Tag, post, submit, and show your best work. Your next chapter begins now. #ibeawards2026

Contest RulesHow to EnterCategories

Contest Rules

Ensuring strict technical rigor, structural health, and pristine final finishes across all submissions.

  1. 1. Eligibility

    • Open to IBE® certified stylists, mentors, educators, and Elevate/Masters students.
    • Entry must be original work created by the submitting stylist or salon team.
    • Work must have been created Jan 1 – Oct 26, 2026 — separate from the submission window; this is when the hair was actually done.
    • Educators are eligible to enter every category. Because educators enter, they do not sit on the judging panel.

  2. 2. Entries

    • Enter as many looks as you'd like, in as many categories as you'd like — there is no limit on the number of entries.
    • Each individual image or video may be entered in only one category (so a single look competes in one place, not several).
    • Voting is open to everyone; entry is for the IBE® certified community.

  3. 3. How work is recognized

    • Every category is recognized in three tiers: Top 10 → Top 3 → Winner.
    • Community Favorite is awarded across all categories, based on the most public votes.

  4. 4. Judging

    • Judging is done by IBE® leadership and corporate teams.
    • Final selection weighs the public vote (50%) and technical scoring (50%).
    • Technical scoring looks at: technical accuracy, clean craftsmanship, blend + aesthetic, creativity + overall result, and alignment with IBE® standards.

  5. 5. Photo & video standards

    • Professional camera or high-quality phone footage both accepted.
    • The area being judged (blend, color, flip-up, etc.) must be clearly visible.
    • No heavy filters that blur texture or distort reality.
    • Before images must match the client and service shown.

  6. 6. Disqualification

    • AI-generated hair images or AI editing of results.
    • Misrepresentation of the extensions used.
    • Work stolen or repurposed from another stylist.
    • Manipulated results that mislead viewers.

  7. 7. Consent

    • By entering, stylists grant IBE® the right to feature their submission content across IBE® platforms (social, email, blog, website, and the stylist locator).

The 2026 Virtual Awards

How to Enter

Ready to submit your work for the IBE® Awards? Follow these steps to enter:

01

Post your work to Instagram using the category hashtag (e.g. #ibeawardsFlipUp) and the universal tag #ibeawards2026.

02

Tag @invisiblebeadextensions in the post so your entry is captured.

03

Enter as many looks and categories as you like; each image/video goes in one category.

Categories

Enter as many categories as you like! See how to enter above

Technique

  • Best IBE® Growout

    #ibeawardsGrowout

    A clean, healthy, discreet growout showing method integrity between appointments.

  • Best IBE® Flip Up

    #ibeawardsFlipUp

    The cleanest, most technically impressive flip-up and underside view.

  • Best Creative Placement

    #ibeawardsCreativePlacement

    Strategic/creative placement to solve a challenge or customize density/length.

Color

  • Best Brunette

    #ibeawardsBrunette

    Dimensional brunette paired with a seamless extension match.

  • Best Bronde

    #ibeawardsBronde

    Soft, dimensional, low-maintenance color with a seamless blend.

  • Best Copper / Red

    #ibeawardsCopper

    Standout copper or red with cohesive matching and finish.

  • Best Vivid Color Transformation

    #ibeawardsVivid

    Creative vivid work enhancing the overall transformation.

  • Best Bright Blonde

    #ibeawardsBlonde

    Bright blonde with polished tone, dimension, and blending.

Styling + Finish

  • Best Curl Finish

    #ibeawardsCurlFinish

    An exceptional curled finish: movement, blend, completed result.

  • Best Straight Finish

    #ibeawardsStraightFinish

    A polished straight finish with seamless blending and natural movement.

  • Best Fashion Style

    #ibeawardsFashionStyle

    Fashion-forward, editorial, or highly creative finished look.

Client Journey

  • Best Before & After

    #ibeawardsBeforeAfter

    The strongest visual before-and-after transformation.

  • Best Natural Hair Transformation

    #ibeawardsNaturalGrowth

    A client whose natural hair visibly grew/improved while wearing IBE®.

  • Best Short-to-Long Transformation

    #ibeawardsShortToLong

    A dramatic yet seamless short-to-long transformation.

Social + Brand Representation

  • Best Salon Team

    #ibeawardsSalonTeam

    A salon team's IBE® artistry, culture, collaboration, and brand representation.

  • Community Favorite

    vote-based

    Most votes across all categories. No entry hashtag — qualifies via category entries.