8th Annual Future Professionals Competition And Expo To Get Underway In Hershey PA

Hershey, PA – May 16 – Each spring, a flock of beauty students take over Hershey, PA, where they get to compete against their most talented peers for valuable, coveted prizes and, even better, bragging rights as the top future beauty professionals in the country. This year marks Empire Beauty Schools’ 8th Annual Future Professionals Expo. Nearly 2,000 students and staff from Empire’s 109 schools nationwide will be in attendance for a weekend of thrilling competition, top notch education and unparalleled career-networking opportunities.

The competition takes place on Sunday May 20th and will be judged by some of the industry’s top hair, nail and make-up pros, such as Jan Zanettini of CND, Creative Nail Design, Michael O’Rourke of Rock Your Hair, Rafe Hardy of Sexy Hair, Martin Dale of Matrix, Shannon Lamm of Goldwell, and Lydia Sarfati of Repechage.

“Every year we are astonished by the level of talent and showmanship we see at this competition” states Franklin K. Schoeneman, CEO, Empire Education Group. “The students put every drop of energy, inspiration and skill they can summon into their creations and the judges have never once had an easy time choosing the winners. The competition is fierce and the anxiety and nervous energy on Sunday is always palpable, but there is no better way to help students raise their game and ensure they will go on to great success in this wonderful industry of ours.”

One exciting highlight of the two day event is the long anticipated announcement of the winner of the Master Apprentice contest with celebrity stylist Nick Arrojo. One lucky Empire student will land his or her dream job as an apprentice with Nick Arrojo at his trendy New York City salon, Arrojo Studio, as well as $10,000 in living expenses.

Students compete throughout the year at their local schools to qualify as finalists competing in Hershey. On Monday May 21st, winners and runners up are honored at an electrifying awards ceremony, which harnesses the energy of hundreds of fired-up beauty students who are eager to get their beauty careers started off with a bang.

A bevy of valuable professional products, tools and educational experiences as well as thousands of dollars in cash prizes will be awarded. Prizes include Master of Beauty Classes with Nick Arrojo, internships with hair giant Goldwell, educational trips to various locations around the country, and an assortment of packages from professional brands such as Creative Nail Design, Goldwell, Sexy Hair, Repechage and Odyssey Nail Systems.

The event includes a trade show floor that showcases the industry’s latest tools, products and formulations from brands such as Goldwell, Creative Nail Design, Fromm, Repechage, OPI, and SexyHair, as well as hands-on educational workshops that will keep students and educators on top of the latest techniques…an absolute must in this trend driven industry.

Another critical feature of the event for students is the invaluable opportunity to connect and network with potential future employers, such as Smart Style, Arrojo, , Great Clips, Master Cuts and Empire Beauty Schools itself, which employs hundreds of people in its 109 schools across the country.

Competition categories include Long Hair Evening Design, Female Trend Cut and Style with Color, Artistic Braided Design Style, Nail Artistry, Men’s Trend Cut, Make-Up Artistry, Styling for the Red Carpet (new this year!), Regional Future Professional of the Year and National Future Professional of the Year. Two outstanding educators will be recognized at the ceremony as Regional Educator of the Year and National Educator of the Year, and two super-performing schools will be awarded the Future Professionals Expo-Total Quality School and Total Team honors.