The 2023 IBI Awards Categories

Makeup Artistry

Best Full Face

This category is focused on a complete/full face of makeup. This look may include full eyes-simple or complex, full face, foundation, blush, contour, lips and brows. This look may be dramatic or simple but would include a complete look that would be thematically consistent. A natural look would be fully natural. A high glam look would be consistently glamorous.

Best Eyes

This look may be depicted with some full face pictures but this category is all about the eyes. The eyes would be the focal point when you look at your photographs even if the entire face is in the picture. You may include looks that focus on cut crease, glitter eye looks, dramatic liner, intense lashes etc.

Best Lips

This category focuses on the lips as the main focal point. Dramatic color or liner, glitter or lip art could be considered. From dramatic to simple this look is all about the lips.

Best Natural

This is a truly natural look. This look would focus on the natural beauty of the subject while applying makeup expertly to enhance the natural beauty.

Best Glam

This is not a subtle or natural look. Glam is all about drama. Glam looks almost always include lashes and extensive eye and contour work.

Best Before & After

This category is all about transformation. Including a before and after image is imperative for this category. This look could be bridal party before and after, photography before and after, pageant etc. What matters most is the transformation. It could be a dramatic transformation or a simple one.

Best Creative / Unconventional

This look is open to those looks that are creatively fueled. They could be fantasy looks, insane use of color, use of texture, use of lines…really the sky is the limit in this category. If it’s creative, it belongs here.

Best Avant-Garde

This category is for experimental or innovative makeup looks, while they may fit in the creative category they may be more than creative…very out of the box, artistic, unique and/or fresh.

Best Editorial

Editorial looks are about story telling. Please use the space to describe how this look fits in the editorial style, especially describing what story your look is depicting.

Best High Fashion

This category is inspired by haute couture and may be something you would see on the best runways.

Best Culturally Inspired Makeup

This category is all about your culturally inspired makeup creations. Makeup and hair styles vary greatly from one country to the next and this category gives each Artisan a chance to share what makes their country and/or culture unique.

Best Men’s Makeup

Any style of makeup on a male. This can be as creative or simple as you choose.

Best Drag

Drag makeup is portraying the opposite sex in a dramatic and exaggerated fashion. Most often men portraying an overly feminine caricature that is larger than life. Eyes are stretched to look very large, contour is used to overly chisel the cheekbones and lips are made to look much larger than the natural lips. Female to male drag is welcomed in this category.

Best Use of Glitter

This category is for any look that has glitter as focal point.

Best Special Effects

The use of advanced techniques including sculpting, prosthetics, texture creation etc. This look will center around the use of any special effect.

Best Moulage / Injury

This category is for special effects that focus of creating a fake injury, cuts, bruises, abrasions, loss of appendages etc. This is purely for injury special effects makeup.

Best Character/Cosplay

This category is creative but may feature a well known or created character. Please include information about the character in your description.

Best Body Painting

This category is usually makeup that also continues onto the body. That could mean full body painting or partial body painting to depict a look. It can also be body painting to replace a costume or clothing.

Best Reparative Makeup*
No Fee

This is always a free category. If you are transforming people’s self esteem while they battle a physical illness or injury, we want to celebrate you. Any reparative makeup is relevant from dramatic to simple. This could mean makeup application for a woman battling illness or in some cases this could also be microblading missing eyebrows or prosthetics secured with cosmetics like spirit gum. Past entrants have tackled everything from burns to vitiligo to severe acne scarring.

Best Eco-Friendly / Sustainable Makeup

This category features looks that are created entirely with cruelty free and/or sustainable products. Please describe what was eco-friendly and sustainable about your application in the description.

Hair Artistry

Best Overall Cut & Style

This category is for the combination of haircutting and hairstyling in one look.

Best Short Hair Cut/Style

This category is for any short cut and/or style.

Best Men’s Cut & Style

This category is for a male cut and style combination.

Best Hand-Painted Color Technique

This category is for any hand-painted technique. This can include, but is not limited to, highlights, ombre, sombre, balayage, hand-palming etc.

Best Multi-tonal Color

Any hair color that has more than one tone/color. Often more than two tones/colors are used to create multi-tonal color.

Best Fantasy / Vivid Color

This category is for vivids and unique hair colors including pastels and neons. This can also include painted hair that has patterns or color variations.

Best Updo / Upstyle

This category is for all hair up-styled looks.

Best Before & After

This category is all about transformation. Including a before and after image is imperative for this category. This look could be bridal party before and after, photography before and after, pageant etc. What matters most is the transformation. It could be a dramatic transformation or a very simple one.

Best Braided Style

This category is for any braided hair style. This can include, but is not limited to, boxbraids, cornrows, fishtail, woven hair styles, feed in braids, crown braids, pull through braids, macrame etc.

Best Natural Hair

This category is all about looks that embrace and work with natural hair texture.

Best High Fashion

This category is inspired by haute couture and may be something you would see on the best runways.

Best Editorial

Editorial looks are about story telling. Please include a description of how this look fits in the editorial style, especially describing what story your look is depicting.

Best Creative / Unconventional 

This look is open to those looks that are creatively fueled. They could be fantasy looks, insane use of color, use of texture, use of interesting materials…really the sky is the limit in this category. If it’s creative, it belongs here.

Best Avant-Garde / Hair Art

This category is for experimental or innovative hair looks, while they may fit in the creative category they may be more than creative…very out of the box, artistic, unique and/or fresh.

Best Wig

This can include wig creation or a pre-made wig that is being styled. Please mention in the description if the wig was made by you or purchased. When submitting pictures please include a picture of the wig on a model.

Reparative Hair* No Fee

This is always a free category. If you are transforming people’s self esteem while they battle a physical illness or injury, we want to celebrate you. Any reparative hair artistry is included here from wigs, hair pieces, to styling.

Best Eco-Friendly / Sustainable Hair

This category features looks that are created entirely with eco-friendly, cruelty free and/or sustainable products. Please describe what was eco-friendly and sustainable about your hair look.

Bridal

Best Bridal Hair

Any bridal hair creation pictured on a bride.

Best Bridal Makeup

Any bridal makeup creation pictured on a bride.

Student

Student Hair & Student Makeup Categories No Fee

Only current beauty students are eligible for the Student Hair or Student Makeup categories. The student categories are for newcomers and are not intended for professionals taking continuing education courses. Students who are just starting out and still studying compete against one and other for the best student hair or makeup artistry.

Students can apply to enter here