Official Regulations

1. Status of the Award and General Provisions

1.1. The official name of the project is the International Professional Beauty Award “United Beauty Award 2026” (hereinafter referred to as “United Beauty Award,” “UBA 2026,” or the “Award”).

1.2. UBA 2026 is held as an independent international system for the selection and recognition of the achievements of beauty professionals, experts, entrepreneurs, and professional educators whose work relates directly to the beauty industry.

1.3. The competitive portion of the Award is conducted entirely online. Applications are reviewed remotely on the basis of the materials submitted by Participants in accordance with the requirements of the selected nominations.

1.4. The official announcement of results and the presentation of physical award materials take place in person at the United Beauty Award 2026 Gala Event in Miami, Florida, USA. The ceremony is accompanied by a live online broadcast for an international audience.

1.5. The Award is organized by ALISMIA LLC, a company organized and existing under the laws of the State of Florida, USA (the “Organizer”).

1.6. To prepare and conduct the Award, the Organizer establishes the United Beauty Award Organizing Committee (the “Organizing Committee”). The Organizing Committee reports to the Organizer, acts under the Organizer’s general direction and within the authority granted by the Organizer, and provides administrative, informational, and technical support for the Award.

1.7. Participation in the Award is voluntary. Submission of an Application constitutes the Participant’s full and unconditional acceptance of these Regulations, the requirements of the selected nomination, and the officially published terms of UBA 2026.

1.8. The requirements governing the content of an Application, the list of required materials, and the evaluation criteria for each nomination are published on the official UBA website. Such requirements apply together with these Regulations and are binding on the Participant.

1.9. The Award is a competition of professional skill and professional achievement. The Award is not a lottery, game of chance, or randomized prize drawing: results are determined solely by the professional evaluation of the Jury.

2. Mission, Objectives, and Professional Principles

2.1. The mission of the United Beauty Award is to create an international space of professional recognition in which the achievements of beauty professionals, experts, entrepreneurs, educators, and authors of industry projects receive independent evaluation and official award status.

2.2. The Award is intended to strengthen the culture of professional quality, promote high standards across the beauty industry, identify and honor industry leaders, support the development of the international professional community, and build a documented record of significant achievements in the beauty industry.

2.3. The principal objectives of UBA 2026 are:

1. recognition of professional mastery and of results significant to the modern beauty industry;
2. promotion of high standards of craftsmanship, entrepreneurship, and professional education in the beauty industry;
3. creation of equal opportunities for professionals from all countries;
4. independent and objective competitive evaluation of professional achievements;
5. development of international professional dialogue and exchange of experience.

2.4. The Award is conducted on the principles of professional independence, equal treatment of Participants, uniform application of criteria, personal responsibility for submitted materials, prevention of conflicts of interest, and respect for intellectual property.

2.5. Evaluation is limited exclusively to the circumstances, materials, and professional indicators relevant to the selected nomination. Nationality, country of residence, and other circumstances unrelated to the nomination criteria shall neither confer an advantage on a Participant nor restrict their participation.

2.6. UBA award statuses are conferred through independent competitive selection on a limited number of Participants in each nomination and constitute a form of professional recognition of achievement in the beauty industry. An award status cannot be purchased, obtained outside the competitive procedure, or conferred automatically.

3. Terms and Definitions

3.1. The award statuses of UBA 2026 are clearly differentiated: the Participant who takes first place is the Winner of the nomination; Participants who take second or third place are Prize Winners of the nomination. The statuses of Winner and Prize Winner are distinct and are not combined under any collective designation. A Participant who scores 80 points or higher but does not place is granted the Certificate of Merit status.

4. The Organizer and Governance of the Award

4.1. The Organizer exercises overall leadership of the Award: it defines the Award’s development strategy and the concept of the season; approves these Regulations, the UBA 2026 calendar, the list of nominations and their requirements; establishes the Organizing Committee and the Jury; oversees the work of the Organizing Committee; ensures the conduct of the competitive procedure; represents the Award in dealings with partners, media, and other third parties; and approves the official results of the professional evaluation.

4.2. The Organizing Committee acts on behalf of and under the supervision of the Organizer: it provides administrative and technical support for registration, delivers Applications to the Jury, monitors compliance with the conflict-of-interest rules, compiles the scores, organizes the official announcement of results, and coordinates the Gala Event.

4.3. The Organizing Committee does not take part in the professional evaluation of Applications and does not alter the scores given by members of the Jury. Its authority is limited to the technical calculation of Final Scores, the application of the established tie-resolution procedure, and the correction of technical (arithmetic) calculation errors.

4.4. The Organizer may engage payment systems, technical platforms, contractors, courier services, and other services necessary for conducting the Award. Engaging such parties does not grant them any authority to influence the evaluation or the allocation of places.

4.5. The Organizing Committee is accountable to the Organizer. The Organizer may issue binding instructions to the Organizing Committee on organizational matters, review its organizational decisions, and change its composition. This authority does not extend to the professional scores given by members of the Jury (Clause 4.3).

4.6. Official information is that which is published on the UBA website or sent to a Participant by the Organizing Committee from the official email address of the Award.

5. Participants and the Presentation of Professional Achievements

5.1. UBA 2026 is open to beauty professionals and experts, owners and official representatives of beauty businesses, and educators and authors of educational projects in the beauty field from any country in the world who have reached the age of 18 as of the date of submission of the Application. Participation is not restricted by place of residence, citizenship, or the geography of professional activity.

5.2. No minimum length of professional experience is required for participation unless expressly provided by the requirements of a specific nomination.

5.3. An Application to UBA 2026 is always submitted by a specific individual. That individual completes registration, accepts these Regulations, is responsible for the accuracy of the materials, and receives the official result of participation.

5.4. In the Masters Nominations, the Participant presents their own work and their own professional skill. The submitted work must have been performed by the Participant personally, except for the permissible involvement of a photographer, videographer, or other specialists solely in the preparation of presentation materials.

5.5. In the Business and Education categories, the Participant presents not an individual professional work but the achievements of an associated business or educational project operating exclusively in the beauty industry. Under this model:

1. the Participant and recipient of the award status is an individual;
2. the subject of evaluation is a beauty business, beauty brand, salon, studio, specialized school, educational program, team, or other industry project created by, owned by, or officially represented by the Participant;
3. the name of the project is stated in the Application, is used in the evaluation, and may appear on the diploma, in the official announcement of results, and in UBA publications.

5.6. An Application in the Business and Education categories may be submitted by:

1. a founder or co-founder of the project;
2. an owner or co-owner of the business;
3. an official representative duly authorized to present the project at the Award.

5.7. An Application in the Business and Education categories must unambiguously link the Participant to the project presented and must state the Participant’s first and last name, their professional status or role, and the official name of the project.

5.8. An official representative warrants that they hold the authority to submit the Application and the lawful right to use the project’s name, results, materials, and other information. Upon request of the Organizing Committee, the Participant must provide evidence of such authority within the period stated in the request, which shall be no less than five (5) business days.

5.9. Where an achievement was created by a team, the Application may describe the team’s contribution and identify its members. The Application is nonetheless submitted by one duly authorized individual, who represents the project at UBA 2026 and accepts the official result in their own name with reference to the project.

5.10. The same project may be presented by more than one individual only if each of them submits a separate Application in their own name, meets the requirements of the selected nomination, and presents a distinguishable personal status, contribution, or achievement. Duplicate Applications reproducing the same subject of evaluation without an independent contribution by the applicant may be excluded from evaluation by decision of the Organizing Committee; the Participant is notified of any such exclusion by email.

5.11. Winners and Prize Winners of previous seasons may participate in UBA 2026 on general terms, subject to the restriction established in Clause 9.10 of these Regulations.

5.12. Members of the UBA 2026 Jury, employees of the Organizer, and members of the Organizing Committee may not submit Applications to UBA 2026.

6. Nominations and Scope of Participation

6.1. The official list of the 42 nominations of UBA 2026 is set out in Appendix 1 to these Regulations. Detailed descriptions, material requirements, and evaluation criteria for each nomination are published on the official website of the Award.

6.2. The requirements governing the composition of materials, the permitted format of presentation, the period in which the result was created, and the evaluation criteria may differ depending on the nature of the nomination:

1. in the Masters Nominations, evaluation may cover quality of execution, technical precision, symmetry, complexity, aesthetics, safety, and conformity with professional standards;
2. in creative nominations, evaluation may additionally cover originality of concept, composition, artistic interpretation, and complexity of execution;
3. in the Business and Education categories, evaluation may cover professional impact, verified results, project structure, scale, innovation, practical applicability, reputation, and contribution to the development of the industry.

The specific criteria for each nomination are published on the official United Beauty Award website and form a binding part of the terms of the competition.

6.3. The Participant selects a nomination independently and, before submitting an Application, must satisfy themselves that their work, professional status, and submitted materials meet the published requirements.

6.4. A Participant may submit Applications in multiple nominations. In the Masters Nominations, a Participant may submit several of their own works, including within a single nomination.

6.5. Each Entry is a separate subject of consideration and is submitted as a separate Application. Each Application undergoes its own registration and professional evaluation; the organizational terms of participation apply to it separately.

6.6. The submission of multiple works within a single Application is not permitted unless the requirements of the specific nomination expressly provide for a different composition of competition materials.

6.7. A registered Application may be transferred to a different nomination upon the Participant’s written request submitted before the close of registration — up to and including August 25, 2026 — provided the Application meets the requirements of the new nomination.

6.8. After the close of registration and the transfer of materials into the competition cycle, no Application may be moved to a different nomination.

7. Registration and Submission of Applications

7.1. Registration is completed through the official UBA online resources within the periods established by the official UBA 2026 calendar.

7.2. Access to the competition application form is granted upon payment of the registration fee for the relevant Application.

7.3. The Application and all information, descriptions, captions, and supporting documents included in it must be submitted in English only. In this regard:

1. documents, certificates, diplomas, publications, and other supporting materials originally issued in another language may be submitted together with an English translation;
2. where a video contains speech in a language other than English, the Participant must provide English subtitles or an English transcript, unless the requirements of the specific nomination provide otherwise;
3. the names of brands, projects, books, methodologies, and educational programs may be retained in their original language, accompanied by a mandatory English translation or explanation.

7.4. The Participant must personally complete the form in full, upload the required materials, verify the integrity of all files, and submit the Application before the applicable deadline. Until submission, the Participant may save a draft and return to the form an unlimited number of times.

7.5. An Application is deemed submitted once the Participant has completed the prescribed electronic submission procedure. Saving a draft, making payment without subsequently submitting the form, or submitting an incomplete form does not constitute submission of an Application.

7.6. As of the submission deadline — August 25, 2026, 11:59 PM Miami time (UTC−4) — the form must be fully completed and submitted. After registration closes, no new Applications are accepted.

7.7. If, within the final 24 hours before the submission deadline, a verified technical failure on the UBA side objectively prevents the submission of Applications, the Organizing Committee may extend the submission period by no more than 24 hours from the restoration of service. Notice of any extension is published on the official UBA website. Failures on the Participant’s side (internet connection, equipment, local services) do not constitute grounds for an extension.

7.8. The Participant bears full and sole responsibility for:

1. the choice of nomination;
2. the content and accuracy of the information provided;
3. the completeness of the Application;
4. the conformity of the materials with the technical and substantive requirements;
5. the quality, accessibility, and integrity of the uploaded files and links;
6. the timely submission of the Application.

7.9. The Organizing Committee does not conduct any preliminary substantive review of an Application on the Participant’s behalf and is under no obligation to identify missing information, request corrections, recommend replacement of materials, or grant additional time to remedy errors.

7.10. An Application is delivered to the Jury in the form and composition in which the Participant submitted it. A missing required material, an inaccessible file or link, or a failure to comply with a language, format, or other requirement may render the Application impossible to review, result in its exclusion, or lower its score, depending on the nature of the violation and the rules of the relevant nomination.

7.11. Before delivery to the Jury, every Application undergoes a formal review by the Organizing Committee covering the completeness of the materials, compliance with the technical and language requirements, and the relevance of the submitted work or project to the selected nomination. Applications that do not meet the established requirements are not admitted to professional evaluation. This formal review is not a substantive evaluation of the Application and does not displace Clause 7.9.

8. Registration Fee

8.1. A registration fee is charged for the registration, administrative processing, and organizational and technical support of each individual Application.

8.2. The current amount of the registration fee is stated exclusively on the official UBA website and is communicated to the Participant before payment. The fee amount is not fixed in these Regulations.

8.3. A separate registration fee is charged for each individual Application. Multiple registration fees may be paid by a Participant within a single Order or a single payment transaction. The registration fee for the first and subsequent Applications may differ, in accordance with the terms published on the official United Beauty Award website.

8.4. The registration fee does not depend on the outcome of the evaluation and does not constitute payment for a diploma, award, placement, or any other form of recognition.

8.5. As a general rule, the registration fee is non-refundable. In particular, the fee is not refunded in the event of an erroneous choice of nomination, an incomplete form, a breach of requirements, a missed deadline, non-admission, inability to evaluate materials for reasons attributable to the Participant, withdrawal of the Application by the Participant, or disqualification.

8.6. The registration fee is refundable only in one of the following cases:

1. the UBA 2026 season is cancelled by the Organizer;
2. a duplicate payment for the same Application is confirmed as a technical error;
3. review of the Application became impossible through the fault of UBA.

Refunds are issued by the same payment method used for the original payment, within a reasonable period not exceeding thirty (30) calendar days from confirmation of the grounds for the refund. Nothing in this clause limits mandatory consumer rights under applicable law.

8.7. Gala Event tickets, delivery of physical award materials, customs charges, and other related expenses are not included in the registration fee.

8.8. A chargeback initiated by the Participant with respect to a paid fee after access to the competition form has been granted is treated as a withdrawal of the relevant Application: the Application is removed from consideration, and any award statuses granted under it may be revoked. This rule does not apply where the chargeback results from a confirmed technical error (Clause 8.6(b)).

9. Authorship, Accuracy, and Professional Integrity

9.1. The Participant warrants that an Entry submitted in a Masters Nomination was performed by the Participant personally and represents their own professional result.

9.2. The use of a photographer, videographer, designer, or other specialist to create presentation materials does not alter the requirement that the submitted professional work be performed personally. The Participant must hold the lawful right to use such materials within the Award.

9.3. In the Business and Education categories, the Participant warrants the accuracy of their status in relation to the project and the legitimacy of presenting the stated results, materials, and information. An Application in these categories must include verifiable information about the project’s achievements to the extent required by the nomination — such as the duration and geography of operations, measurable results and metrics, portfolio, publications, awards received, testimonials, and documents confirming the project’s registration or status. Only achievements substantiated by the materials of the Application are taken into account in the evaluation.

9.4. All information, documents, images, videos, links, metrics, and other materials must be accurate, must relate to the submitted work or project, and must be used lawfully.

9.5. Photo and video materials of an Entry must reflect the actual result of the work. Basic color correction, exposure adjustment, and cropping are permitted. The following are prohibited:

1. retouching or digital processing that alters the shape, structure, or actual result of the work performed (including skin, nails, hair, lashes, brows, and permanent makeup);
2. the creation or modification of images or videos of the Entry using generative artificial intelligence technologies;
3. filters or effects that distort the actual result of the work.

9.6. Upon request of the Organizing Committee, the Participant must provide the original (unprocessed) photo or video files of the Entry. Failure to provide the original files within the period stated in the request (no less than 5 business days) may result in the exclusion of the Application or the revocation of the result.

9.7. The Participant warrants that any model, client, or other person depicted in the Application materials has consented to being photographed or filmed and to the use of their likeness within the Award, including publication under Section 19. If a depicted person is under 18 years of age, the Participant must hold the written consent of that person’s legal guardian. For nominations in the Cosmetology category, the Participant additionally warrants that the client has consented to the use of before-and-after photographs.

9.8. Presenting another person’s work as one’s own, misappropriation of authorship, falsification of materials, manipulation of evidence, or the provision of knowingly false information constitutes a material breach of these Regulations.

9.9. Where reasonable doubt exists, the Organizer may request that the Participant substantiate authorship, the accuracy of information, or the authority to represent a project. Such a request is a right of the Organizer and does not create an obligation to verify every Application before its delivery to the Jury.

9.10. In the Masters Nominations, the Entry must have been completed no more than 12 months before the date of submission of the Application, unless the requirements of the specific nomination provide for a different period. In the Business and Education categories, the business, school, educational program, book, methodology, or other project may have been created earlier; in that case, the Participant must present current achievements, results, development, implementation, or professional impact of the project for the period specified by the requirements of the relevant nomination. A work or project that took first, second, or third place in a previous UBA season may not be resubmitted in unchanged form.

9.11. Participants are prohibited from contacting members of the Jury regarding the evaluation of their own or others’ Applications, from attempting to influence scores, and from offering remuneration or other benefits. A breach of this prohibition constitutes a material breach of these Regulations and grounds for disqualification.

10. Disqualification and Revocation of Results

10.1. A material breach of these Regulations constitutes grounds for disqualification of the Application without a refund of the registration fee.

10.2. The following constitute absolute grounds for disqualification:

1. presenting another person’s professional work as one’s own;
2. forgery, falsification, or deliberate distortion of materials, including prohibited image processing (Clause 9.5);
3. providing knowingly false information material to the admission or evaluation of the Application;
4. lack of lawful rights to present the submitted work or project;
5. attempting to influence members of the Jury (Clause 9.11).

10.3. Before any disqualification decision is made, the Organizing Committee sends the Participant, at their contact email address, a notice describing the grounds identified and grants the Participant no less than five (5) business days to provide explanations and supporting materials. If no response is received within the stated period, the decision is made on the basis of the available materials.

10.4. If a breach is discovered after the completion of the evaluation or the official announcement of results, the Organizer may revoke the awarded place and award status, invalidate the electronic and physical award documents, and remove the corresponding result from UBA’s official publications.

10.5. Revocation of a result after its announcement does not entitle the disqualified Participant to a refund of the registration fee or to compensation for expenses connected with attending the Gala Event or receiving award materials.

10.6. A disqualified Participant is not issued a certificate of participation for the relevant Application, and any certificate already issued is revoked.

11. Formation of the Jury and Professional Independence

11.1. The composition of the Jury is formed and approved by the UBA 2026 Organizing Committee solely on the basis of a detailed review of each candidate: their professional experience, specialization, achievements, and professional reputation. Only specialists whose competence in the relevant field of the beauty industry has been documented and verified are admitted to the evaluation.

11.2. A candidate for membership of the Jury must have no less than five years of professional experience in their declared field of specialization.

11.3. Candidates may be invited by the Organizing Committee or may apply through the official UBA website. Regardless of the manner of nomination, every candidate undergoes the same review procedure, in which the Organizing Committee examines the documents and information submitted by the candidate: portfolio of work, professional experience and tenure, education and continuing professional development, field of specialization, professional achievements, professional standing, and public professional activity. Candidates who fail to demonstrate compliance with the established requirements are not appointed to the Jury. Neither applying nor being invited guarantees appointment to the Jury; appointment to the UBA Jury is itself a form of professional recognition of the candidate’s competence.

11.4. A Judge evaluates only those nominations that fall within their verified specialization.

11.5. Every Application is evaluated by no fewer than two specialized Judges.

11.6. Members of the Jury conduct their evaluations independently, guided by the official criteria of the relevant nomination, and do not coordinate individual scores with Participants.

11.7. Anonymous (“blind”) judging applies in the Masters Nominations: information directly identifying the Participant is not disclosed to the Judges as part of the evaluation materials, to the extent the content of the Application allows. The Participant, in turn, must not include their name, logo, watermarks, social media handles, or other identifying marks in the competition photo and video materials, unless the requirements of the nomination provide otherwise.

11.8. In the Business and Education categories, the identity of the Participant and of the project presented is open, since the applicant’s name, status, and the project’s history and results form the subject of the professional evaluation.

11.9. The name, photograph, specialization, and principal professional achievements of a Jury member may be published on UBA’s official resources. The assignment of Judges to specific Applications is not disclosed until the competition cycle is complete.

11.10. Members of the Jury must comply with the standards of professional ethics, confidentiality, and independence established by UBA.

12. Conflicts of Interest

12.1. A Judge may not evaluate the Application of a person with whom the Judge has a relationship capable of casting doubt on the independence and impartiality of the evaluation.

12.2. Conflicts of interest include, without limitation, teacher–student and employer–employee relationships, business partnerships, membership of the same team, close family ties, close personal acquaintance, joint commercial activity, and any other material professional or personal connection.

12.3. Upon identifying a conflict of interest, the Judge must immediately notify the Organizing Committee and recuse themselves from evaluating the relevant Application.

12.4. An Application in respect of which a recusal has been declared is reassigned to another independent specialized Judge.

12.5. Failure to disclose a conflict of interest constitutes a breach of the Jury member’s obligations and may result in their removal from further participation in the evaluation, and in the exclusion of their scores from the final calculation (Clause 13.4).

13. Evaluation Methodology

13.1. All Applications in all nominations are evaluated on a uniform 100-point scale. Each nomination has its own professional criteria, published on the official UBA website; the maximum combined score across the criteria of any nomination is 100 points.

13.2. The assigned Judges give their scores individually and independently of one another.

13.3. The Final Score of an Application is the arithmetic mean of all scores given by the assigned specialized Judges and admitted to the final calculation.

13.4. A score is excluded from the final calculation only in the following cases: recusal of the Judge due to a conflict of interest (Section 12), or a breach of the evaluation procedure by the Judge as established by the Organizing Committee. The grounds for exclusion are recorded in the minutes of the Organizing Committee.

13.5. If the scores given by the Judges for a single Application diverge by more than 20 points, the Organizing Committee assigns an additional independent specialized Judge. In that case, the Final Score is calculated as the arithmetic mean of all scores given and admitted to the calculation, including the additional Judge’s score.

13.6. An Application’s place in the nomination ranking is determined by its Final Score, subject to the first-place threshold established in Clause 14.2 and the Jury’s right to leave individual places unawarded.

13.7. If two or more Applications have the same Final Score and the tie affects the allocation of first, second, or third place, the Organizing Committee assigns an additional independent specialized Judge to evaluate only the tied Applications. The higher place is awarded to the Application with the higher score from the additional Judge.

13.8. If the tie persists after the additional evaluation, the final order of the tied Applications is determined by a documented decision of the Organizing Committee based on the totality of all scores given. The result of the additional evaluation is used solely to determine the order of Applications with equal Final Scores and does not change those Final Scores.

14. Determination of Results and Allocation of Places

14.1. First, second, and third places may be awarded in each nomination.

14.2. First place is awarded only if the Final Score of the relevant Application is no less than 80 points on the 100-point scale.

14.3. If no Application in a nomination reaches 80 points, first place is not awarded. Second and third places may nonetheless be determined according to the ranking of Applications.

14.4. Second and third places are determined by the ranking of Final Scores. No separate minimum score applies to the award of second or third place.

14.5. The Jury may leave first, second, or third place unawarded if the submitted Applications do not demonstrate a professional level sufficient for the corresponding award status.

14.6. The award of one place does not create an obligation to award the others. In particular, the absence of a first place does not prevent the award of second and third places, and the award of first place does not require that second or third place be determined.

14.7. The Participant awarded first place is recognized as the Winner of the UBA 2026 nomination. Participants awarded second or third place are recognized as Prize Winners of the nomination. The statuses of Winner and Prize Winner are independent award statuses.

14.8. A Participant whose Application received a Final Score of 80 points or higher but did not place first, second, or third is granted the Certificate of Merit award status — a digital certificate of professional recognition (Clause 15.4). The Certificate of Merit is not a certificate of participation.

14.9. The scores, professional conclusions, and decisions of the Jury, and the results approved by the Organizer, are final and are not subject to review at the initiative of a Participant; no appeals on the substance of the professional evaluation are available. A Participant may submit an inquiry solely with respect to a suspected technical error in the processing of the Application, the recording of a score, or the calculation of the Final Score; such an inquiry is not an appeal on the substance of the professional evaluation. The correction of a technical (arithmetic) error is carried out by the Organizing Committee and does not constitute a review of results; where such a correction materially affects the allocation of places, the affected Participants are notified.

15. Official Award Statuses and Documents

15.1. The UBA 2026 award system comprises digital award documents, issued regardless of the Participant’s attendance at the Gala Event, and physical award materials, whose presentation is tied to in-person attendance at the ceremony.

15.2. Every UBA 2026 Participant whose Application was admitted to evaluation automatically receives an electronic certificate of participation (except in cases of disqualification — Clause 10.6).

15.3. The Winner and Prize Winners of each nomination receive personalized electronic diplomas stating the nomination, the place awarded, and the award status, together with a digital badge (“Winner,” “2nd Place,” “3rd Place”) and the right to use the corresponding title (“UBA 2026 Winner,” “UBA 2026 — 2nd Place,” “UBA 2026 — 3rd Place”) for professional purposes. In the Business and Education categories, the diploma may also state the official name of the project presented.

15.4. Participants holding the Certificate of Merit status (Clause 14.8) receive a digital certificate and the right to use the title “UBA 2026 — Certificate of Merit.”

15.5. Physical award materials:

1. the Winner (1st place) receives the UBA 2026 physical award (trophy) and a printed diploma;
2. Prize Winners (2nd and 3rd places) receive printed diplomas, presented at the award ceremony upon in-person attendance;
3. separate physical awards (trophies) for second and third places are not provided for by the UBA 2026 award system.

15.6. Printed diplomas are produced for Winners and Prize Winners who have confirmed in-person attendance at the Gala Event in accordance with Section 16, and are presented personally at the award ceremony.

15.7. An award status arises exclusively from the officially approved results of UBA 2026. A certificate of participation does not evidence the award of a place.

15.8. If a result is revoked, the corresponding diploma, physical award, digital badge, and public award status cease to be valid.

16. Gala Event and Presentation of Awards

16.1. The United Beauty Award 2026 Gala Event (the “Gala Event” or “Gala”) takes place on September 13, 2026, in Miami, Florida, USA, in person, accompanied by a live online broadcast of the official ceremony. The venue, program, and attendance terms are published on the official UBA website.

16.2. After the close of submissions, the Organizing Committee sends registered Participants an official inquiry regarding their planned attendance at the Gala Event.

16.3. The Participant must, within the period stated in the notice, either confirm attendance or give notice of non-attendance. Failure to respond within the stated period is treated as the absence of confirmed attendance at the ceremony.

16.4. Attendance at the Gala Event is not included in the registration fee. To attend, the Participant purchases a separate ticket on the terms published by the Organizer.

16.5. Confirmation of attendance does not of itself signify the award of a place and does not disclose any result before its official announcement.

16.6. Physical diplomas and awards are presented at the ceremony to those Winners and Prize Winners who confirmed attendance, met the Gala Event attendance conditions, and are present at the event.

16.7. If the Winner is absent from the ceremony, their physical award (trophy) and printed diploma are shipped after the Gala Event to the address provided by the recipient, to countries to which delivery is permitted under applicable US law and the policies of the carriers engaged. If delivery to the specified country is impossible, the Organizing Committee agrees on an alternative method of receipt with the recipient.

16.8. Physical award materials are not shipped to Prize Winners (second and third places) who are absent from the ceremony; they receive digital award documents in accordance with Section 15.

16.9. The delivery of physical award materials, carrier services, customs duties, taxes, and other expenses connected with shipment and receipt are paid by the recipient. Any tax obligations arising for the recipient in connection with receiving an award are discharged by the recipient independently in accordance with the laws of their country of residence.

16.10. The recipient is responsible for providing a complete and accurate address, contact details, and any other information required for shipment.

17. Publication of Results and Official Communications

17.1. The results of UBA 2026 are officially announced on September 13, 2026, in person at the Gala Event, with a simultaneous live broadcast for an international audience. After the announcement, the results may be published on the official website, on social media, in press releases, and in other official information resources of the Award.

17.2. The Organizer may publish a Participant’s first and last name, country, professional field, the name of the project presented in the Business and Education categories, the nomination, the final result, and the award status conferred.

17.3. The Participant must provide a valid email address and independently monitor incoming official communications, including checking spam and junk-mail folders.

17.4. Communications are sent to the contact address provided by the Participant at registration. The Participant bears the risk of any consequences arising from an error in their contact details or from a failure to review a communication in due time.

17.5. Until the official announcement of results, information concerning the allocation of places is confidential and is not disclosed to Participants.

18. Personal Data

18.1. The Organizer processes Participants’ personal data (first and last name, country, contact details, payment details to the extent necessary to accept payment, Application materials, and the delivery address for award materials) solely for the purposes of organizing and conducting the Award, determining and publishing results, presenting and delivering awards, and official UBA 2026 communications.

18.2. The processing of personal data is governed by the Privacy Policy published on the official UBA website, which forms an integral part of the terms of participation. By submitting an Application, the Participant confirms that they have read the Privacy Policy and consents to the processing of their personal data for the stated purposes.

18.3. Consent to the publication of the information listed in Clause 17.2 is given by the Participant upon submission of the Application and is a condition of participation in the Award, as the public announcement of results is intrinsic to the competitive procedure.

18.4. Personal data is disclosed to third parties only to the extent necessary for conducting the Award (payment systems, technical platforms, delivery services) or where required by applicable law.

18.5. Where Application materials contain images of third parties (clients, models), the Participant is responsible for the lawfulness of their processing and for obtaining the necessary consents (Clause 9.7). Before-and-after photographs in the Cosmetology category may be submitted only with the consent of the person depicted.

18.6. Inquiries concerning the processing of personal data are to be sent to the official email address of the Award. Withdrawal of consent to data processing before the completion of the competition cycle may make further review of the Application impossible; in that case, the registration fee is not refunded. Withdrawal of consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before its receipt and does not annul officially announced results.

19. Intellectual Property and the Right to Use Materials

19.1. Copyright and other exclusive rights in the Application materials remain with their lawful right holders.

19.2. By submitting an Application, the Participant grants the Organizer a non-exclusive, royalty-free right to use the submitted materials for the purposes of organizing, conducting, covering, and promoting the Award.

19.3. This right includes placing the materials on the official UBA website and social media accounts and including them in publications, press releases, presentations, catalogues, videos, reports, archives, and the Award’s advertising and informational materials.

19.4. The Organizer may make necessary technical adaptations to the materials, including cropping, resizing and reformatting, editing of excerpts, addition of brand elements, and translation of text, provided the substance of the submitted material is preserved and its meaning is not deliberately distorted.

19.5. The Participant warrants that the grant of this right does not infringe the rights of third parties and that they have obtained all necessary permissions for the use of images, works, trademarks, and other protected subject matter included in the Application.

19.6. Attribution of the author or Participant is provided where consistent with the nature of the publication and where practicable.

20. Liability and Force Majeure

20.1. The Organizer is not liable for interruptions or failures of third-party services engaged for the Award (payment systems, hosting, email services, social media, streaming platforms), for the acts of carriers or customs authorities in the delivery of award materials, or for the inability to reach a Participant using the contact details they provided.

20.2. To the extent permitted by applicable law, the Organizer’s aggregate liability to a Participant for any claims connected with participation in UBA 2026 is limited to the amount of the registration fee actually paid by that Participant for the relevant Application.

20.3. Force majeure means extraordinary and unavoidable circumstances beyond the Organizer’s reasonable control, including natural disasters, epidemics, hostilities, acts of public authorities, large-scale infrastructure failures, and other similar circumstances.

20.4. Upon the occurrence of force majeure, the Organizer may postpone the stages of UBA 2026, change the format of the Gala Event (including a fully online announcement of results), or cancel the Gala Event while preserving the competitive procedure and announcing the official results remotely. Such decisions are published on the official UBA website.

20.5. Postponement of the Gala Event or a change in its format does not give rise to a refund of the registration fee. Refunds of Gala Event ticket prices are governed by the terms of ticket sale.

20.6. Nothing in this Section limits any rights of Participants that cannot be limited by agreement under mandatory provisions of applicable law.

21. Governing Law and Dispute Resolution

21.1. These Regulations and the relationship between the Organizer and Participants are governed by the laws of the State of Florida, USA, without regard to its conflict-of-laws rules.

21.2. The parties shall endeavor to resolve disagreements through negotiation. Claims are to be sent to the official email address of the Award; the review period is thirty (30) calendar days.

21.3. Disputes not resolved through the claims procedure are subject to the jurisdiction of the competent courts of Broward County, Florida, USA, unless mandatory provisions of the law of the Participant’s country provide otherwise.

21.4. Nothing in this Section deprives a consumer Participant of the protection afforded by mandatory provisions of the law of their country of habitual residence.

22. Application of the Official Calendar

22.1. The official UBA 2026 calendar is set out at the beginning of these Regulations. All deadlines are stated in Miami, Florida local time (Eastern Time; UTC−4 throughout the UBA 2026 season); the same information is duplicated on the official UBA website and in the electronic registration form.

22.2. The Participant must take possible time-zone differences into account and complete the submission of their Application in good time.

22.3. After the submission deadline, no new forms are accepted, and incomplete or unsubmitted forms are not included in the competition cycle.

23. Amendments, Organizational Decisions, and Final Provisions

23.1. The Organizer may amend these Regulations where objectively necessary for the proper conduct of UBA 2026, subject to official publication of the amendments.

23.2. Amendments take effect upon publication unless a different date is stated in the relevant notice. Amendments do not apply to Applications already submitted to the extent they would worsen the position of the Participants who submitted them, and may not annul officially awarded results, except for revocation resulting from a Participant’s breach of these Regulations.

23.3. These Regulations are published on the official UBA website in English; the English version is the sole official published version of the Regulations. The Russian-language text is an internal working version of the Organizer; in the event of any discrepancy between the versions, the published English version prevails.

23.4. On matters not expressly governed by these Regulations or by the official nomination requirements, the Organizer makes an organizational decision guided by the objectives of the Award, the principles of professional independence and equal treatment of Participants, and the need to preserve the integrity of the competitive procedure.

23.5. If any individual provision of these Regulations is found to be unenforceable, this does not affect the validity of the remaining provisions to the extent they can operate independently.

23.6. By submitting an Application, the Participant confirms that they:

1. have read these Regulations, the requirements of the selected nomination, and the Privacy Policy;
2. understand the evaluation procedure and the allocation of places;
3. accept the finality of the Jury’s decisions and the absence of an appeals procedure;
4. confirm the accuracy of the information provided and that all necessary rights and consents have been obtained;
5. agree to the terms governing the use of materials and the official publication of results.

23.7. These Regulations apply to all UBA 2026 Applications from the date of their approval.

Appendix 1 — Official List of UBA 2026 Nominations

The official UBA 2026 list comprises 42 nominations. Nominations 1–35 belong to the Masters Nominations; 36–39 to the Business category; and 40–42 to the Education category. The nomination titles below are official and are used uniformly on the website, in the competition forms, and on award documents.

Nails

Hair

Brows

Lashes

Permanent Makeup

Makeup

Cosmetology

Business

Education

Brief descriptions, eligible applicant profiles, and the specific criteria for each nomination are published in the official nomination catalogue, on the United Beauty Award website, and in the competition forms. This list corresponds to the list of nominations published on the official website unitedbeauty.org.