Does your school have what it takes to win a Golden School Award?
The American Association of Career Schools (AACS) Golden School Awards recognize the best beauty, barber, and wellness schools that our sector has to offer. You can enter your school in one or all of the categories. The school that receives the highest score in each category will be named “Winner” in that category.
Submissions for 2026 will open August 3. Winners will be announced at the AACS Annual Conference, October 22-24 in Las Vegas!
There are ten unique categories that your school may enter. The flat entry fee allows you to enter in as many categories as you like, per campus!
Hover over each category below to read its description.
Recognizes beauty, barber, and wellness schools that are actively involved in advocating for the interests of the beauty and wellness school industry and its students.
Recognizes beauty, barber, and wellness schools that make a significant impact on their community through volunteer work and charitable giving. The school should have a well-established history of community engagement and be able to demonstrate the positive impact their work has had on the lives of others.
Recognizes beauty, barber, and wellness schools that have the best facilities for student learning and practice. Facilities should be clean, well-maintained, and equipped with the latest technology and equipment. They should be spacious enough to allow students to work comfortably and safely. The schools should be welcoming and supportive with knowledgeable and helpful staff.
Recognizes beauty, barber, and wellness schools that have produced successful alumni who continue to contribute to the school and the beauty and wellness industry.
Recognizes beauty, barber, and wellness schools that have the best marketing strategies to attract new students. Marketing should be creative, effective, and targeted to the right audience. It should be consistent with the school’s overall brand and mission.
Recognizes beauty, barber, and wellness schools that have the best success rate in placing graduates in jobs in the industry. The school should have a strong network of employers and it should help graduates find jobs to match their skills and interests.
Recognizes beauty, barber, and wellness schools that have a positive and supportive school culture. The school should be a place where students feel comfortable and safe, and where they are encouraged to be themselves and to reach their full potential.
Recognizes the beauty, barber, and wellness school that has the best student salon and spa. The salon and spa should be a well-run operation that provides students with opportunities to practice their skills and gain real-world experience. The salon and spa should also have great sales numbers and great client reviews.
Recognizes an outstanding beauty, barber, or wellness school that demonstrates excellence in education, student success, and career preparation. This award honors schools that excel in areas such as advocacy, community involvement, innovation, placement, school culture, and overall institutional excellence.
Recognizes an outstanding small beauty, barber, or wellness school that demonstrates excellence in education, student success, and career preparation. This award celebrates schools making a significant impact through innovation, advocacy, community involvement, school culture, and student outcomes—proving that excellence isn't defined by size. Open to AACS member schools in Tier 1 only.
All AACS Member Schools are invited to enter in the 2026 Golden School Awards! Follow these three easy steps to submit your entries.
Register your intent to participate by campus. Pay the flat fee of $149 per campus and enter as many categories as you like. Must be logged into your AACS member account to purchase.
Gather information and prepare supporting materials needed for your submission. Refer to the Planning Document & Judging Criteria.
Create an account in the Entry Portal platform and submit your materials to the online portal by the deadline, September 11.
Attend the AACS Annual Conference, October 22-24 in Las Vegas, to find out if your school is a winner!
Review the Planning Document and Judging Criteria to strengthen your entry materials!
Remember, no one knows your school like you do – help the judges get to know your school by providing photos and videos.
Yes, the Golden School Awards are only open to AACS member schools. To become a member click here or contact AACS at membership@myaacs.org.
No one knows your campus like you! The judges will be looking at your submission based on the judging criteria. We encourage you to submit media such as photos, video, etc. to strengthen your application. We recommend you refer to the 2026 GSA Planning Document & Judging Criteria on this page to help you plan your entries.
While one brand may have multiple campuses, each campus is unique! Therefore, all applications are campus specific.
All applications must be submitted through the online portal by the deadline, September 11, 2026.
The entry fee is $149 per campus and you can enter as many categories as you want! Paying a one-time flat fee of $149 per campus grants unlimited category entries.
Winners will be announced at the AACS Annual Conference, October 22-24 in Las Vegas. Register for Annual Conference here.
Applicants can submit any type of supporting documents! The following types are all accepted by the application: .jpg, .png, .pdf, .mp4, .mov. If you are unsure, reach out to the AACS office at info@myaacs.org.
Individual files can be a maximum of 500 MB. There is no limit as to how many files you can upload.
Display your trophy at your campus! Add the digital badges to your website, and any landing page you have. Remember, just by adding a digital badge to a paid ads landing page has proven to increase leads by 37.25%! Schools have found other creative ways to share news. Some have printed a banner and put it up in the school. They’ve thrown celebration parties for their staff and students. Everything they do they’ve documented with video or photos and put it on their social media. Schools have even added the badges to their email stamps. The benefits of winning one of these prestigious awards also helps with recruiting staff, we’ve been told.
Congratulations to our 2025 Golden School Awards winners!
The most prestigious award that can be won by a beauty and wellness school. Recognizes the beauty, barber, and wellness school that has done the best job overall in providing its students with a quality education and preparing them for success in the beauty and wellness industry. The school should excel in all areas including advocacy, community involvement, facilities, legacy alumni, marketing innovation, placement, school culture, and student salon and spa.
Recognizes beauty, barber, and wellness schools that have a positive and supportive school culture. The school should be a place where students feel comfortable and safe, and where they are encouraged to be themselves and to reach their full potential.
Recognizes beauty, barber, and wellness schools that have the best success rate in placing graduates in jobs in the industry. The school should have a strong network of employers and it should help graduates find jobs to match their skills and interests.
Recognizes beauty, barber, and wellness schools that have the best marketing strategies to attract new students. Marketing should be creative, effective, and targeted to the right audience. It should be consistent with the school’s overall brand and mission.
Recognizes beauty, barber, and wellness schools that have produced successful alumni who continue to contribute to the school and the beauty and wellness industry.
Recognizes beauty, barber, and wellness schools that have the best facilities for student learning and practice. Facilities should be clean, well-maintained, and equipped with the latest technology and equipment. They should be spacious enough to allow students to work comfortably and safely. The schools should be welcoming and supportive with knowledgeable and helpful staff.
Recognizes beauty, barber, and wellness schools that make a significant impact on their community through volunteer work and charitable giving. The school should have a well-established history of community engagement and be able to demonstrate the positive impact their work has had on the lives of others.
