The L’Oréal Colour Trophy UK Grand Final brought together some of the UK’s finest colourists at The O2, London for an evening of hair artistry, colour innovation and live competition, as the world’s longest-running live hairdressing competition celebrated its landmark 70th year.
Following eight regional semi-final heats across Belfast, Glasgow, Leeds, Manchester, Bristol, St Albans, Brighton and London, finalists from across the UK competed live at the Grand Final, showcasing the creativity, technical skill and individuality shaping the future of professional colour.
Guests were welcomed for a special evening hosted by Amanda Holden that included a gala dinner, live shows an awards ceremony, and an afterparty. Highlights included ‘Off the Earth’ by Toni & Guy and a special collective catwalk, ‘Eras of Hair’ to celebrate seven decades. The event marked 70 years of a competition that has launched careers, transformed salons and championed the craft of hairdressing since 1954.
Judged by a panel of leading names from across the hairdressing industry, including Adam Reed, renowned celebrity hairstylist and founder of ARKIVE by Adam Reed, and Errol Douglas MBE, multi-award-winning hairdresser and founder of Errol Douglas London, this year’s competition reflected the breadth of modern colour work. From high-impact transformations and trend-led colour to specialist expertise across Afro and textured hair, emerging talent and social-first creativity, the winning looks demonstrated how colour continues to be one of the most powerful forms of self-expression and salon artistry.
The winners are:
L’Oréal Colour Trophy Award
Overall Winner: Scullion and Scot – Lewis Inkles & Jessica Elwell, Sheffield
2nd Place: Tribe Clapham – Elle Foreman, London
3rd Place: Brooks & Brooks – Charlotte Illi, London
L’Oréal Colour Trophy Award – Regional Winners:
Northern Ireland: Leighann Rea Hairdressing – Leighann Rea, Belfast
Scotland: Garçon – Grant Carr, Glasgow
North Eastern: Scullion and Scot – Lewis Inkles & Jessica Elwell, Sheffield
North Western: Drew Udall & Co – Drew Udall, Shropshire
Western: Zoe Hodgkiss – Hair Artistry – Zoe Hodgkiss, Holsworthy
Eastern: The Secret Garden – Darren Cunningham & George Waterfield, Leicester
Southern: Peg Hair – Daniel Stanley, Brighton
London: Tribe Clapham – Elle Foreman
L’Oréal Colour Trophy Star Award: Scullion and Scot – Millie Grierson, Sheffield
L’Oréal Colour Trophy Afro Award: Headmasters Dulwich – Danielle Louis, London
L’Oréal Colour Specialist Award: Daniel Wilson Hairdressing – Adriana Seagrave, Southampton
L’Oréal Colour Trophy Future Talent Award
Amy Mcdonald
Charlotte Rikunenko
Evie Fisher
Olivia Dare
Patrice Rhatigan
L’Oréal Colour Trophy Social Colour Creator Award: Willow Fox Hairdressing, Lauren Fox, Sheffield
“When our names were called, we felt completely overwhelmed and so proud of each other. To win in the 70th year of the L’Oréal Colour Trophy makes it even more special, and to know our small Sheffield salon is achieving the recognition it deserves is an incredible feeling.
Lewis and I always go into this competition with such a strong vision, and this year we had a concept we’d been sitting with for a while. We called it our stone blonde – muted, smoky, delicate but powerful. There were moments when we wondered if we needed to add more, but we trusted our gut and hoped the vision would be seen.
For us, it’s so important that young stylists don’t feel they have to fit into a box. Seeing our own team feel inspired to enter awards, blossom creatively and have the fire to put their work out there is truly what it’s all about.” – Lewis Inkles and Jessica Elwell, Scullion and Scot
“The O2 venue is incredible, and we were so excited to welcome everyone here to experience the show. As a collective, we took the audience on a journey through different eras of hair, brought to life in our own unique way. Walking through the corridors, you can feel the history in the artwork and the names on the walls, and the sound in the arena is just amazing. With an audience like this, it was brilliant to see everyone get up, dance and celebrate with us.” – Sally Brooks, Brooks & Brooks and L’Oréal Colour Trophy 2026 UK Grand Final Lead Creative Show Director, Collective Show
“We are celebrating the 70th anniversary of the L’Oréal Colour Trophy, a pioneering industry hair competition. I personally have been involved for over 30 years, but what the Colour Trophy does, what it brought to me, and what it brings to hairdressers is inclusivity. It brings inspiration, innovation. It really is the standard when it comes to hair colour competitions on a global level. 70 years is the longest-running hair competition in the world, and it champions the expert. It champions the hairdresser behind the chair to create incredible hair.” – Adam Reed, founder of ARKIVE and L’Oréal Colour Trophy Judge
From its first competition on Tottenham Court Road in 1954 to this year’s Grand Final at The O2, the L’Oréal Colour Trophy has continued to evolve with the industry it celebrates. Seventy years on, the competition remains a platform for recognising exceptional colour talent, spotlighting salon creativity and celebrating the people shaping the future of professional hairdressing across the UK who sit at the heart of the British high street.
