The finalists of HJ's 2009 British Hairdressing Awards have been chosen after the judges - an elite band of British Hairdressing Awards Hall of Fame members and hairdressing experts - spent hours pouring over hundreds of hairstyle collections.
Specialist Awards
Afro Hairdresser of the Year
Sandra Webb - Sandra Webb Hair & Beauty, London
Michelle Thompson - Francesco Group, Stafford, Staffordshire
Junior Green - Junior Green Hair & Beauty, London
Abena Richardson - Asquared, Catford
Kim Johnson - Hype Coiffure, London
Eve Owusu and Gemma Humes - Errol Douglas Salon, London
Artistic Team of the Year* **
Toni & Guy Artistic Team - London
Atherton Cox Artistic Team - London
Lisa Shepherd Salons - Birmingham
hob salons - London
F.A.M.E. Team 2009
* Having won the Artistic Team of the Year for three consecutive years the Trevor Sorbie Artistic Team are ineligible to enter until 2010
** Sixth finalists disqualified due to missed deadline.
Avant Garde Hairdresser of the Year
Anne Veck - Anne Veck Hair, Oxford
Skyler McDonald - seanhanna, Wimbledon
Tina Farey - Rush London, Croydon, Surrey
Efi Davies - Toni & Guy, Covent Garden, London
Indira Shauwecker - Toni & Guy, Covent Garden, London
Darren Ambrose - D&J Ambrose, Pinner, Middlesex
Schwarzkopf Professional British Colour Technician of the Year
Mark Leeson - Mark Leeson Hair Body & Mind, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire
Gary Hooker and Michael Young - Hooker & Young, High Gosforth Park, Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Robbie Robertson - Forresters, Reading
Anne Veck - Anne Veck Hair, Oxford
Christel Lundqvist - hob salons, London
Chris Willliams - Rush London, Croydon, Surrey
Men's Hairdresser of the Year
Mark Smith and Paige Squires - Smith's, Bromley
Desmond Murray - Atherton Cox, London
Claire Groves - Kontakt, London
Jamie Stevens - Errol Douglas, London
Jody Taylor - Toni & Guy, Covent Garden, London
Karine Jackson - Karine Jackson, London
Newcomer of the Year
Benjamin Moth - Brooks & Brooks, London
Matthew Lewis Stopps - Rush London, Walton-upon-Thames, Surrey
Mark Francome Painter - Kontakt, London
Shaun Hall - Mark Leeson Hair Body & Mind, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire
Costa Phouli - Rush London, Epsom
Siobhan McGuire - Angels, Aberdeen
Regional Awards
Eastern Hairdresser of the Year
Simon Cawthorne - Cawthorne and Wright, Oakham, Leicestershire
Paola Fattorusso - Rush London, Watford
Anne McGuigan - Anne McGuigan Hair & Beauty, Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordsire
Terri Kay - Mark Leeson Hair Body & Mind, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire
Paul Falltrick - Paul Falltrick Hairdressing, Romford, Essex
Neil Smith - Barrie Stephen Hair, Anstey, Leicestershire
London Hairdresser of the Year
Jamie Stevens - Errol Douglas
Desmond Murray - Atherton Cox
Richard Mannah - Toni & Guy, Sloane Square
Cos Sakkas - Toni & Guy, Regent Street
Darren Bain - hob salons
Sean Dawson - hob salons
Midlands Hairdresser of the Year
Anya Dellicompagni - Francesco Group, Stafford
James Whyte - Soul Hair, Chester, Cheshire
Joanna Ludlow - Diva, Worcester
Charlotte Cole & Melanie Osborne - Lawrence Anthony, Stratford-upon-Avon
Sean Tetlow and James Tetlow - The Colour Room, Stockport
Andrea Beers - Andrea Beers, Kidderminster
North Eastern Hairdresser of the Year
Jen Deighton - Toni & Guy, Sunderland
Jill Watkins-Wright - Watkins-Wright Hairdressing and Beauty, Thirsk, North Yorkshire
Susan Hall - Reds Hair & Beauty, Sunderland
Marcus King - Hooker & Young,Wynyard Village, Newcastle
Paul Ferguson - Hooker & Young, Seaham, County Durham
Alan Simpson and Karen Storr - Contemporary, Guisborough, Cleveland
Northern Ireland Hairdresser of the Year
Lee Stinton - Paul Stafford Hairdressing, Belfast
John Morrison and Carolyn Russell - JL Morrison, Belfast
Kevin Kahan - Kevin Kahan, Bangor
Michael Quinn - Michael Quinn Hairdressing, Belfast
Simon Houston - Simon Houston Hairdressing, Ballymena
Keith Kane - Keith Kane International, Belfast
North Western Hairdresser of the Year
Melenie Tudor - En Route Hair & Beauty, Wakefield, West Yorkshire
Gary Taylor - Edward & Co, Brighouse, West Yorkshire
Sharon Peake - Ethos, Manchester
James Bacon - Andrew Collinge Hairdressing, Manchester
Elizabeth Brierly - Hair @ Jibe, Carlisle, Cumbria
Phill Gallagher - Voodou, Liverpool
Scottish Hairdresser of the Year
Philip Bell - Ishoka, Aberdeen
Brian Gallagher - Gallagher/Horner Hair, Glasgow
Colin McAndrew and Kim Wyser - Medusa, Edinburgh
Nelson Brown - Browns, Dumfries
Gary Lees - Lees & Thompson Hairdressing, Motherwell, Lanarkshire
Janer Stewart - Angels, Aberdeen
Southern Hairdresser of the Year
Rebecca Counsell - Rush London, Sutton, Surrey
Sam Burnett - Rush London, Walton-on-Thames, Surrey
Sueng Ki Baek - Rush London, Epsom, Surrey
Ross Dilanda - Scully Scully Hairdressing, Godalming, Surrey
Leo Bancroft - Leo Bancroft, Weybridge, Surrey
Gary Gill - Monroe Hairdressing, Leatherhead, Surrey