Eight months in, Jeremy Stott takes Hair Festival crown

Eight months after picking up clippers for the first time, Melbourne barber Jeremy Stott claimed the 2026 overall barber champion title at Sydney's Hair Festival, held in late June at the ICC exhibition centre.

The Intermedia-organised event, now in its fifth year, drew roughly 30 competitors across three live cutting categories: barber, emerging talent barber, and women's cutting. Contestants share a single technical rule: cut at least 1.5cm of hair within 30 minutes. Beyond that, judges weigh creativity, trendiness, and suitability to the model on a points basis. Competitors can enter multiple events.

What does the live format offer working salons?

For salons weighing training and marketing budgets, the live format functions as a credibility showcase. Joanne Cowan, Intermedia's national sales director, put the appeal this way: "There's no photoshopping, there's no AI … it's pure hair creativity."

That pitch lands at a moment when filtered social-media work has stretched everyday client expectations. A live format shows clients what a working scissor hand actually delivers.

How did Stott reach the stage?

Stott became a barber eight months before the festival. Two years earlier, he lay in a hospital bed recovering from a serious motorcycle accident that broke his neck, back, leg, and both wrists. The former engineer committed to barbering during that recovery.

He flew from Melbourne with a regular client as his model, picking an anime-inspired cut — length at the front, spiked at the back. He admitted the half-hour limit tested him. His hands grew shaky as the clock wound down.

Stott also took home the Street Style award. When asked what comes next, his answer captured the trade's working ethos: "I don't know. Go back and cut hair."

Why is the braiding division a milestone?

This year's festival added a braiding competition — a first. Thirteen competitors raced to complete four box braids on one model in an hour. For context, braiding a full head can take a working braider an entire day depending on complexity.

Veteran braider Lea Avery, with 12 years in the craft, competed for the first time. She said winning didn't matter; showing up did.

What gaps did competitors flag?

Avery quickly pointed out the festival's representation shortfall. Only two of 150 exhibitor stalls focused on afro hair. She plans to push for her own stall in future years to lift visibility for afro and Polynesian hair businesses.

For salon owners reading the room, the data points are plain:

• The festival floor featured just 1.3% afro-focused stalls.
• The braiding category debuted with 13 entrants, suggesting latent demand.
• A broader afro and Polynesian exhibitor presence would expand the festival's commercial catchment.

What should salons take from the results?

Stott's path from hospital bed to champion stage in eight months is the festival's clearest pitch to newcomers: live competition accelerates skills and exposes emerging talent to regional clients. His win also signals that a successful entry need not rely on technical perfection — judges weight creativity and suitability alongside execution.

The sixth Hair Festival returns to Sydney in June 2027. Watch for an expanded braiding division, movement on afro and Polynesian exhibitor representation, and any shift in Intermedia's judging criteria toward textured-hair work.