Will You Enter the Modern Barber Best Apprentice Award 2023?

The excitement is building over this year’s Modern Barber Awards, and you still have time to get those entries in!

Whatever stage you are at in your barbering career, there’s a category for you. For those just starting out, the Best Apprentice category is a great way to showcase new talent and can be an amazing springboard for a career in barbering.

The Best Apprentice category, sponsored by Andis, is all about discovering budding talent. This is the chance to reveal the skills and passion of the next generation of barbering pros. The entry needs to be made by the apprentice’s direct manager, so if you think you have what it takes to be the 2023 Best Apprentice, speak to your boss now! Or, if you are a manager who wants to shine a light on a particularly promising apprentice, this is your chance to celebrate them. What better way to motivate a hard-working team member than by helping them achieve recognition for their efforts?

Last year’s winner, Sirak Kebede of Ruffians tells us how he threw himself into barbering after enjoying the qualities that come with the craft; immersion, discipline, purpose, and playing a critical role in the community and society. "I wanted to showcase my body of work, my skills, and show the industry what I'm all about. I really wanted to show that even though I'm new to the industry, I can produce work of a high calibre. I saw some of the previous winners from other years and I thought I think I can compete and if I believed that my work was good enough then I should prove it. It's really that simple."

Speaking of winning, Sirak says: "To have won the coveted Modern Barber Award for Best Apprentice 2022 is something than can only be described as career defining for me, my first step in being recognised as one of the UKs best. This craft will ask everything of you and more, but with rigorous persistence and clear-cut ambition, you’ll find yourself at the top of the mountain. I kept pushing, I kept working, and I kept believing.”

And a little bit of advice for those who are thinking of entering this year's Modern Barber Awards, Sirak says: "Don't half arse it, hit it with everything you've got because there's a lot of talent out there. If you enter something that's lacklustre, the panel is made up of experts who will know whether you've put in one hundred percent or not."

TOP TIPS

• Keep your answers clear and concise.


• Our judges want to see how an apprentice has gone above and beyond to show their commitment and passion for their role within a business.


• Make sure you back up any claims with real examples of how they have proved they are a star apprentice with a bright future in barbering.

Speaking of the Modern Barber Awards, why not enter the Best Training category?