Saturday, April 3, 2027 · America’s Beauty Show · Rosemont, Illinois
Rules & Guidebook
Everything you need to compete in Rising Stars HBC 2027 — the general guidelines first, then the rules for each category. Competitors are responsible for knowing and understanding the rules.
Part One
General Guidelines
01
Who Can Compete
Rising Stars HBC is open to:
- Students currently enrolled in a licensed cosmetology, nail, or barbering program, and
- Graduates within one year of the competition date — that is, anyone who graduated on or after April 3, 2026.
At registration each competitor provides: school name, graduation date (expected or actual), and license number if licensed. All competitors compete and are judged together in a single group per category.
02
Registration
Registration for Rising Stars HBC is handled by America’s Beauty Show. Begin at risingstarshbc.com/register, which will direct you to the official ABS registration system. All entry fees, confirmations, and refunds are processed by ABS.
- Registration opens: October 13, 2026, with the launch of the new America’s Beauty Show website.
- Deadline: Monday, March 15, 2027.
- Entry fees are paid per category.
Each category is limited to the first 20 competitors. Places are filled on a first-come basis and a category closes as soon as it is full — registering before the deadline does not guarantee a place in a category that has already filled.
03
Entering More Than One Category
The competition runs in three blocks. Two categories run side by side in each block. Competitors may enter one category per block — a maximum of three categories in total.
Because paired categories run at the same time, these combinations cannot be entered together:
Block 1 · Pick one
Men’s Street Cut
or
Bridal Style
Block 2 · Pick one
Fashion Cut & Style
or
Texture Styling
Block 3 · Pick one
Fashion Nails
or
Editorial Makeup
All other combinations are permitted.
04
Show Access & Tickets
Rising Stars HBC takes place inside America’s Beauty Show. Show admission is purchased separately from competition entry and is the competitor’s responsibility.
- Every competitor must hold valid America’s Beauty Show admission for Saturday, April 3 to compete.
- Student tickets are three-day passes, which cover Sunday’s awards presentation. No additional ticket is required to attend awards.
- One model band is included with each competition entry.
- Every live model must be at least 16 years of age. There are no exceptions to this requirement.
05
Mannequins
The four hair categories — Men’s Street Cut, Fashion Cut & Style, Bridal Style, and Texture Styling — are worked on mannequins. Pivot Point mannequins are required in these categories. No other brand is permitted.
- Competitors supply their own mannequin and holder (tripod or mannequin stand).
- Full-body mannequins are not permitted.
- Stickers, labels, or markings other than the manufacturer’s own are not permitted.
- Mannequins must be prepped exactly as the category rules describe before lineup. If a mannequin arrives incorrectly prepped, a Competition Director will correct it.
- Pivot Point mannequins are available at pivot-point.com.
Editorial Makeup is worked on a live model. Fashion Nails may be worked on a live model or on practice hands; any brand of practice hand or display is permitted in that category.
06
Live Models
Editorial Makeup requires a live model. Fashion Nails permits one. Competitors are responsible for recruiting, scheduling, and briefing their own model.
- Models must be at least 16 years of age and must wear their model band. One band is included with each competition entry.
- Models must arrive with the working area completely clean and bare — no primer, no base, no pre-applied product of any kind.
- Models must remain with their competitor through competition, judging, and the Parade of Competitors. Plan for a commitment of approximately three hours.
- Models remain seated at the station during judging.
07
At the Station
Provided by America’s Beauty Show
- Half of a 6′ table — approximately 3′ of working area, shared with the competitor opposite.
- One mirror.
- One standard chair. Chairs are not height-adjustable styling chairs — plan your mannequin holder accordingly.
- One electrical outlet, limited to 1000 watts.
Competitor Responsibilities
- No multi-plug adapters or power strips — except in Fashion Nails, where a multi-plug is permitted if the combined draw stays under 1000 watts.
- Keep tools and product on the table or in your case — nothing on the floor around your station.
- Set the mannequin at mid-mirror height so judges can see the top of the design.
- No visible logos, brand names, or product labels turned outward on the mannequin or model.
- Fashion Nails competitors bring their own table covering or mat.
Rules That Apply to Every Category
- No spray colors. Temporary spray color is not permitted in any category.
- No work prepared in advance beyond what a category’s prep rules specifically allow.
- All work is completed on the floor within the posted time.
08
Competition Day, Step by Step
- Check in at the arena. Competitor check-in is in a dedicated area inside the competition arena on the ABS show floor. Do not report to the main ABS registration area in the lobby. The show floor opens at 11:00 AM — go directly to the competition arena. Check-in stays open through the day, so later blocks can check in while an earlier category is competing. You’ll confirm your categories and receive your competitor packet and badge. Wear your badge all day.
- Report to holding 20 minutes before your block. Your mannequin must already be prepped and your model must be present. Directors verify prep here.
- Receive your station number. Station numbers are given out in the holding area only — never in advance, and never exchanged between competitors. A Competition Director walks you to your station.
- Set up. You have 5 minutes to set up tools and product at your station.
- Start. Directors confirm every mannequin is correctly prepped, then the Competition Director starts all competitors at once.
- Stop. At the stop call, all hands come off immediately. Tools down. Continuing to work after the stop call is a penalty.
- Leave the floor for judging. No competitor may be on the floor or in the display area while judging is underway. In Blocks 1 and 2, move your finished mannequin to the roped display area and leave the floor. Block 3 is judged at the stations, with live models remaining seated. Return to break down your station only when a Competition Director releases you.
- Parade of Competitors. Everyone lines up with their finished work — mannequins, practice hands, or live models. Blocks 1 and 2 collect their mannequins from the display area for the parade.
09
Saturday Schedule
| Block | Categories | Holding | Rules & Setup | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Men’s Street Cut (45 min) · Bridal Style (45 min) | 11:15 – 11:35 | 11:35 – 11:45 | 11:45 – 12:30 |
| 2 | Fashion Cut & Style (40 min) · Texture Styling (40 min) | 12:45 – 1:00 | 1:00 – 1:10 | 1:10 – 1:50 |
| 3 | Fashion Nails (60 min) · Editorial Makeup (60 min) | 2:05 – 2:20 | 2:20 – 2:30 | 2:30 – 3:30 |
| Time | What’s Happening |
|---|---|
| 11:00 AM | Show floor opens. Go directly to the competition arena to check in. |
| 3:50 – 4:10 PM | Blocks 1 and 2 collect their work and stage in the parade area. |
| 4:05 – 4:15 PM | Block 3 breaks down stations and joins the lineup. |
| 4:20 – 4:50 PM | Parade of Competitors. 4th and 5th place certificates presented. |
| 5:00 PM | Show floor closes. |
| Sunday, April 4 | Awards presentation — Barbers Stage. Time to be announced. |
America’s Beauty Show floor hours are 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM. All times are subject to final confirmation with America’s Beauty Show.
10
Judging & Scoring
Rising Stars HBC uses the international 30-point system. Judges do not score each competitor in isolation — they rank the field against itself. Working independently, each judge reviews every competitor in the category and then assigns scores:
Each judge awards the 30, the 29, and the 28 one time only. From 27 down to 22, a judge may give the same score to as many competitors as the field requires.
A competitor’s final result is the total of all judges’ scores. Because the top three scores are unique to each judge, a competitor must be placed highly by several judges to finish in the awards.
Judges evaluate the finished work only, against the criteria listed for that category. No judge may discuss scores with a competitor before or after judging. Score sheets are returned to competitors at the awards presentation on Sunday, April 4.
11
Penalties
| Violation | Points |
|---|---|
| Category rule violation (length, color, ornament, technique) | –10 |
| Working after the stop call | –5 |
| Incorrect mannequin or model prep not corrected before start | –5 |
Penalties are noted on the results sheet so competitors can see what was assessed and why.
Grounds for disqualification: use of a non–Pivot Point mannequin in a hair category; work prepared in advance where the category forbids it; exchanging station numbers; use of a live model under 16 years of age.
12
Awards
In every category:
| 1st | Medal and Certificate |
| 2nd | Medal and Certificate |
| 3rd | Medal and Certificate |
| 4th | Certificate, photo, and recognition |
| 5th | Certificate, photo, and recognition |
| Color | Color Award — presented in every category |
Every competitor receives a Certificate of Participation.
4th and 5th place certificates are presented at the Parade of Competitors on Saturday. 1st, 2nd, 3rd place and the Color Award are presented on the Barbers Stage on Sunday, April 4, 2027.
13
Refunds, Photography & Questions
Cancellation and Refunds
Registration and payment are handled by America’s Beauty Show, and the ABS cancellation and refund policy governs all entries. If Rising Stars HBC cancels the competition, entry fees are refunded in full.
Photography
Rising Stars HBC photographs and films the competition floor, stage, and awards. Entering the competition grants permission to use those images in event coverage and promotion. Competitors retain full rights to their own work and to photographs they take themselves.
Questions
For questions about the competition rules: contactus@risingstarshbc.com
Part Two
Category Rules
Six categories run in three blocks, listed here in the order they compete. You can enter one category per block. The General Guidelines above apply to every category.
Men’s Street Cut
A wearable, current men’s cut and style — the kind of work that walks out of a salon or barbershop and looks right on the street. Commercial, not technical.
- Mannequin Prep
- Male Pivot Point mannequin, hair wet and combed back at lineup.
- Length Before Start
- Minimum 4 inches on top. Minimum 2 inches from the occipital down through the neckline and around the perimeter of the ears. Sideburns may be pre-cut. No other pre-cutting.
- Required Cut
- A minimum of 1 inch must be removed from all areas of the head. Judges verify cut length. Failure to cut is a penalty.
- Color
- Natural tones only — black, brown, blond, gray, white. Color must be even and integrated throughout.
- Requirements
- Nape must be tapered. Finished look must read as commercial and wearable.
- Tools
- All cutting and styling tools permitted.
Judged On
Not Permitted
Pre-cut work, carved designs, avant-garde or fantasy styling.
Bridal Style
A soft, romantic bridal look — the kind a real bride would book.
- Mannequin Prep
- Female Pivot Point mannequin, hair straight, loose, and brushed back at lineup. Extensions, if used, must be inserted before lineup and must be straight and unstyled.
- Requirements
- At least 50% of the hair must be styled up. The finished look must be recognizably bridal.
- Color
- Color must be harmoniously integrated. Fashion/vivid colors forbidden. Black, brown, blonde, red, auburn, white, silver, and gray permitted.
- Ornaments
- Permitted — pearls, flowers, crystal, tiara, veil. Ornaments may not cover more than 40% of the head.
- Tools
- All styling tools permitted.
Judged On
Not Permitted
Less than 50% of hair styled up, pre-styled hair, ornaments exceeding 40%, fashion/vivid colors.
Fashion Cut & Style
A cut and style with a magazine-cover finish. Modern, commercial, and complete.
- Mannequin Prep
- Female Pivot Point mannequin, hair wet, straight, and combed back at lineup.
- Length Before Start
- Minimum 6 inches all over the head. Hair may not be pre-cut or pre-styled.
- Required Cut
- A minimum of 1 inch must be removed from all areas of the head. Judges verify cut length. Failure to cut is a penalty.
- Color
- Color must be harmoniously integrated. Fashion/vivid colors acceptable as long as the overall look remains consistent with the fashion category.
- Requirements
- Cut and style both executed on the floor. Finished look must be wearable and consumer-appropriate.
- Tools
- All cutting and styling tools permitted.
Judged On
Not Permitted
Hair extensions, ornaments, avant-garde or fantasy styling.
Texture Styling
Styling on textured hair. This category is about understanding texture — shaping, defining, and finishing afro-textured hair into a designed, wearable look.
- Mannequin Prep
- Pivot Point afro/textured hair mannequin. Hair presented clean, dry, and picked out at lineup. No pre-forming, no pre-set sections, no pre-applied product.
- Requirements
- Freestyle. The design is built entirely on the floor. Shape, symmetry, definition, and finish quality carry the category. The finished look must be wearable.
- Color
- All colors permitted on natural hair and hairpieces.
- Hairpieces
- Permitted. Hairpieces may not cover more than 50% of the head and must blend into the styled hair. All hairpieces must be laid out on the station table for inspection before the start.
- Ornaments
- Permitted, and must be integrated into the design rather than sitting on top of it.
- Tools
- All styling tools permitted.
Judged On
Not Permitted
Pre-formed work, hairpieces exceeding 50%.
Fashion Nails
A full set of designed nails — artistry, precision, and a cohesive concept across all ten.
- Format
- Nail tips applied on a live model or practice hand(s), worked on the floor. Competitors supply their own model, hand or display, tips, product, and tools. Any brand of practice hand is permitted.
- Requirements
- All ten nails must be shaped, finished, and designed on the floor. Tips may be pre-applied to the hand before lineup but must be unshaped, unfinished, and undecorated. The set must read as one connected concept, not ten unrelated nails.
- Product
- All nail systems permitted — gel, acrylic, polygel, polish.
- Tools
- All nail tools permitted. Electric files permitted.
- At the Station
- Bring your own table covering or mat. A multi-plug adapter is permitted in this category only, provided the combined draw at the station stays under 1000 watts.
Judged On
Not Permitted
Pre-shaped, pre-finished, or pre-decorated tips; pre-made 3D elements attached rather than built on the floor.
Editorial Makeup
A finished editorial makeup look — the face you’d see on a magazine cover or in a campaign. Bold is welcome; sloppy is not.
- Format
- Application on a live model. Model must arrive with the palette clean and bare — no primer, no base, no pre-applied product of any kind.
- Requirements
- The complete look is executed on the floor, including lashes and any applied elements. Competitors declare their theme on their station card at setup, and the finished look must match it.
- Product
- All makeup product permitted. Airbrush permitted.
- Tools
- All makeup tools permitted.
- Model
- Must be at least 16 years of age — no exceptions. One model band is included with each entry.
Judged On
Not Permitted
Any pre-applied product, pre-applied lashes, or prosthetics applied before the start.
Competitors are responsible for knowing and understanding the rules.
Questions about the rules? Email contactus@risingstarshbc.com
Back to the Competition