After hundreds of high quality entries and the toughest judging process yet, the 2023 Dapper Dan Barber World Series has come to a close following the announcement of the three category winners: Callum Butler (Barber of The Year), Itesh Fakoo (International Barber of The Year), and Bella Barba Co (Barbershop of The Year). The impressive quality across the board made for a close race, with small details being the deciding factors in crowning this year’s champions. 

The judging process remained the same as previous years, with the first stage deciding on five finalists for each category and the second deciding each category’s winner. The judging panel however did see some changes, leaving it the most stacked with expertise the competition has seen thus far. The panel was once again headed up by Simon May, co headed by Colin Petrie, and this time, joined by Mike Taylor, Rhys Whitehouse (2022 Barber of The Year), Mark Maciver (aka SliderCuts), and Charles Gray. 

The difficult process of choosing just five finalists in each category from the hundreds of entries left Callum Butler, Carl Taylor, Jacob Holliland, Ross Mathieson, and Vivienne Brown as the final five in the Barber of The Year category. In the International Barber of The Year category, Itesh Fakoo, Arsen Zurnadzhian, Florian Zizkovsky, Jarle Solbrekk, and Olha Tkachenko reached the finalist stage, and for the Barbershop of The Year category, Bella Barba Co, Arkade Barbers, Avanzato Grooming Lounge, Boardroom Barbers, and Morgan Jones Barbers made up the final five. 

When it came to deciding on each category’s winner, for the first time ever, the competition's judges weren’t the only ones with a say, thanks to the inaugural Audience Vote, allowing barbers around the world to voice their opinion. The new audience vote made it that much tougher to come out ahead, and in doing so made this year’s wins all the more impressive. 

The competition will return next year so make sure you’re following the competition’s Instagram page @probarber_worldseries to catch all the announcements, and head over to our website to see more about this year’s winners and their entries.