The PBA Beacon Student Competition is Accepting Applications

he Andrew Gomez Dream Foundation to Provide 1,000 Scholarships to Support Beacon Entrants

The Professional Beauty Association’s (PBA) Beacon student competition entry process opens today.  The application process closes Friday, February 25, 2016. Held annually as part of PBA Beauty Week, the live component of the Beacon program invites 100 winners and 200 honorable mentions to be part of a career-building event featuring the nation’s top business educators, platform artists and beauty executives.

“Beacon is an exciting and special competition for the Professional Beauty Association. Each year Beacon creates an opportunity for the up-and-coming talent in our industry to interact with high profile salon owners and professionals during PBA Beauty Week,” stated Steve Sleeper, Executive Director for the Professional Beauty Association. “Beacon is truly a unique event. Not only does the program provide students with educational and career growth opportunities, it also helps them build long-lasting industry relationships.”

This year, PBA is proud to announce a new scholarship opportunity for Beacon entrants, funded by the Andrew Gomez Dream Foundation (AGDF).  This opportunity awards 1,000 recipients with scholarships for the cost of entering Beacon, which is $35 for PBA members and $50 for non-members.  AGDF partners with charities and educational programs to provide services and continuing education to beauty students and professionals. “We’re honored the Beacon program was selected by the AGDF as a valuable educational resource for future industry professionals. These scholarships will enable a broader base of students to promote themselves on a national scale,” explains Sleeper. 

The Beacon competition is designed to encourage and inspire beauty industry students to prepare for successful careers. A panel of top salon and spa owners, manufacturers, and distributors score each Beacon submission for creativity and professionalism. Beacon submissions must include a professional resume, a letter of recommendation, a portfolio of images, and a professional marketing piece. While at Beacon, students participate in panel discussions, listen to industry insiders and have the opportunity to attend other PBA Beauty Week events such as the North American Hairstyling Awards (NAHA).

The PBA website includes more information about the Beacon program, tips for schools to help their students, entry guidelines, event details and a webinar explaining the program to interested cosmetology students. Please visit www.probeauty.org/beacon for more information.

About: The Professional Beauty Association (PBA) advances the professional beauty industry by providing our members with educationcharitable outreachgovernment advocacyevents and more. Probeauty is the largest organization of salon professionals with members representing salons/spasdistributorsmanufacturers and beauty professionals/NCA .