The Contessa Awards are the gold standard in Canadian beauty awards. Bringing together the best of Canadian talent since 1988, the Contessas have the longest-running track record of excellence. The photo-based competition enables entrants to express their creativity, and is open to all bona fide Canadian beauty professionals from coast to coast.
Winning a Contessa Award can be career-changing! It’s great for your portfolio and reputation—and it can even open doors for business opportunities.
How are the winners chosen?
Our rigorous judging process includes two prestigious panels of independent experts that are responsible for assessing each entry. Judging is performed blindly (with each entrant’s identity remaining anonymous) to maintain a fair and objective process. The first round is live judging, completed by a selected panel of experts within the Canadian professional beauty industry.
The second round of judging is completed online by selected international hair and beauty experts. In the past, this panel has included celebrity hairstylists, beauty editors and industry photographers.
The Canadian Nail Artist and Interior Design categories are judged separately by selected experts in each respective field. The John Steinberg Award for Community Service is judged by the Allied Beauty Association.
When and where are the winners announced?
To announce the Contessa winners, a glamorous gala is held annually in Toronto, where the winners are crowned in a full house of more than 1,000 guests.
The Contessas begin with a chic cocktail party that combines the best of the best in beauty, followed by a formal sit-down dinner, the awards ceremony and concludes with an exclusive after-party at one of the trendiest clubs in the city.
Who produces the Contessas?
The Contessas are produced by Salon Communications Inc., a media company that publishes Salon Magazine (English and French editions), consumer magazine Elevate and online platforms www.salonmagazine.ca and www.elevatemagazine.com.