Professional Beauty India Mumbai 2026 closed with a dedicated Awards Night. The evening brought together two days of conversations, education, competition, and creativity. Together, these honoured the individuals shaping the beauty, hair, wellness, and grooming industries. The night recognised excellence across three distinct celebrations: the Professional Beauty Global Excellence Award, the Skillathon Awards, and the Modern Barber Challenge Awards.
Professional Beauty Global Excellence Award: Seema V. Jerajani
The evening opened with a special recognition. The Professional Beauty Global Excellence Award celebrates exceptional and sustained achievement on the international stage. It honours individuals who have helped pioneer India’s representation in global hairdressing.
This year’s recipient was Seema V. Jerajani, a two-time World Champion, international jury member, award-winning artist, author, and educator. Her achievements span the 2026 International Beauty Industry Award for World Champion High Fashion Hair in New York and the 2021 Georgiy Kot World Championship. She also earned Avant Garde finalist placings at the Live Fashion International Awards in Spain across 2023, 2024, and 2026. Beyond this, she has been a finalist for International Image of the Year at the Fellowship for British Hairdressing and served on the OMC Hair World Jury in Paris. She authored Art of Indian Coiffures and received the Hall of Fame Hair Artist of the Year Award.
Mark Moloney, Chairman of Professional Beauty Group, and Vikas Vij, Managing Director of IDEX, presented the award on stage. Their presentation honoured Seema’s commitment to excellence, creativity, and international representation.
Skillathon Awards
Next, the evening moved into a celebration of technical skill with the Skillathon Awards. Skillathon brought together professionals and emerging talent to showcase their expertise across seven disciplines: Facial Treatment, Foot Reflexology, Hair Removal, Manicure, Pedicure, Makeup, and Nail Art. Recode, Official Make-up Product Partner; Shills, Official Nail Product Partner; and Biosoft, Official Waxing Product Partner, supported the competition.
Vaishali Shah, Co-founder & Director of LTA, joined the stage to speak about what the competition represents for the industry. After this, the host formally acknowledged the Skillathon jury, which comprised Devangi Vala, Hina Khan, Jalpa Rana, Jody Jones, Mahima Gandhi Grover, Neha Joshi, Nisha Chauthani, Sanjay Thakkar, and Smita Rajendra Narvekar.
Awards followed across three placings. Devangi Vala, Hina Khan, and Jalpa Rana presented the Second Runner-Up award. Pratistha Ayonna won that position graciously. Next, Jody Jones, Mahima Gandhi Grover, and Neha Joshi presented Second Place to Vrukshali Vasant Pervi who won that position. Finally, Smita Rajendra Narvekar, Vaishali Shah, and Biju Nair presented the evening’s top honour, the Skillathon Winner 2026 title to the well deserving Sarika Rupesh Pevekar. The ceremony closed with a group photograph of all three winners.
Modern Barber Challenge Awards 2026
The evening then closed with the Modern Barber Challenge Awards. This ceremony recognised the barbers who pushed the boundaries of their craft across five categories: Beard & Moustache, Creative Scissors, Express Fade, Hair Tattoo, and The Modern Barber. The competition’s jury panel included Dharmesh “Dodo” Hingorani, Jay Pawar, JJ Savani, Milan Bhatia, Prathamesh Sawant, Sahil Jadhav, Tom Darling, Uday Takke, Vinu, and Wazid Ali. VGR served as Gifting Partner, alongside Appronics by ADS as Supporting Partner and Gatsby as Styling Partner.
Beard & Moustache
This category celebrated barbers who demonstrated exceptional precision, attention to detail, and grooming expertise. Milind Prakash Bansode took the win, while Jashandeep Khan finished as First Runner-Up.
Creative Scissors
This category rewarded cutting skill, creativity, and precision. Avinash Shinde claimed the top spot, while Pravin Gohil finished as First Runner-Up.
Express Fade
Express Fade tested precision, consistency, and control, making it one of barbering’s most technically demanding disciplines. Rajkumar Sisodiya took the win, while Robin finished as First Runner-Up.
Hair Tattoo
This category celebrated originality and technical execution. Robin won the category, while Rohit RMS finished as First Runner-Up.
The Modern Barber
The evening’s final award recognised excellence across technical ability, creativity, professionalism, and client experience. Vikas Vij, Managing Director of IDEX, and Kumar Gaurav, CEO of VGR, presented the title. Prashanth Inarparthi won the award, while Dablu Sharma finished as First Runner-Up.
The night closed with a grand group photograph featuring all winners, runners-up, jury members, and award presenters. Altogether, the evening marked a fitting end to two days of business, artistry, and competition at PBI Mumbai 2026.