Ali Holmes from Wildlife in Surry Hills was last night named the 2010 New Creative Force, as part of the Schwarzkopf Professional Hair Expo Hairdressing Awards. The ultimate recognition for any hairdresser, Ali took this year’s title at a spectacular gala ceremony in Darling Harbour, hosted by Daniel Macpherson.

Beating three other finalists to clinch the award, Ali said; “Winning the New Creative Force Award is a huge goal for me in my career. It is such an honour to win and I couldn’t have done it without my Wild Life Sogo salon team and whilst I’m so excited and grateful to win this award I see it as a stepping stone to the ultimate award – Hairdresser of the year!”

Celebrating their 25th anniversary this year, the annual Hairdressing Awards at Hair Expo are the most respected, established and longest runningawards in the Australian hair industry. Exclusively sponsored by Schwarzkopf Professional, they set the industry standard and are the pinnacle of hairdressing excellence.

This category rewards the most outstanding hairdresser in the industry with less than ten years’ experience and is often seen as a stepping stone to future winners of the Hairdresser of the Year award. New Creative Force is awarded to those who have achieved outstanding creative and professional recognition for their years in the industry.

Julia Erben, Hair Expo Event Director, commented; “The Schwarzkopf Professional Hair Expo Awards are the highest accolade in our industry – recognised internationally as the benchmark for Australian and New Zealand hairdressing. This year, the competition was tougher than ever before, with all categories except Australian Hairdresser of the Year open to New Zealand entrants.”

Winners announced in all 13 categories for the 25th annual Hairdressing Awards included previous Hair Expo winner Shane Henning from Noddy’s on King for Australian Hairdresser of the Year and Wild Life Hair for Salon Team of the Year. Paul Serville from Servilles Academy, Auckland was inducted into the Hair Expo Hall of Fame for his contribution to the industry over his forty-plus years in hairdressing. Details of each winner and their salon are listed below.

The awards gala was preceded by a spectacular show from Schwarzkopf Professional and wraps up the 36th year of Hair Expo Australia; the premier hairdressing event in the Southern Hemisphere. Over 10,000 visitors flocked to Darling Harbour to see more than 10,000 square metres of world-class exhibitors, education and shows from international and local hairdressing stars and the latest and greatest the industry has to offer.