Official Rules

1. Sponsor

Cut for the Crown 2026 is presented and administered by Imperial Barber Grade Products, 2060 Maple Ave Unit A, Costa Mesa, California 92627, United States. Barbercon, Instagram, Meta, TikTok, YouTube, equipment manufacturers, magazines, distributors, retailers, media organizations, promotional partners, Prize providers and event partners are not sponsors or administrators unless Sponsor expressly identifies them otherwise.

2. Defined Terms

Competition means Cut for the Crown 2026.

Sponsor means Imperial Barber Grade Products.

Competitor means an eligible professional whose Competition registration has been approved by Sponsor.

Submission means one Competition video submitted by a Competitor, together with its title, description and associated Submission information. Each approved video is a separate Submission.

Voter means a registered and verified user eligible to cast Votes.

Votes means verified Competition votes cast through the Competition portal. Votes are the sole competitive metric used to determine advancement and the Champion.

Like means a noncompetitive engagement action available to portal visitors. Likes are not Votes and have no effect on ranking, advancement, Runner Up placement or the Champion.

Comment means content posted by a registered user in connection with a Submission. Comments exist for community interaction and have no effect on ranking, advancement, Runner Up placement or the Champion.

Represented Business means the professional business, shop, salon, studio, suite, mobile operation or other professional establishment selected by a Competitor to represent during the Competition.

Prize means any cash, product, professional equipment, promotional reward, discount, recognition or other benefit offered under the Official Prize Terms.

Razzle Dazzle Assistant means the optional artificial intelligence writing feature provided to help Competitors create or improve proposed Submission titles and descriptions. It does not create video content, judge Submissions, assign Votes or affect Competition results.

Champion means the verified Competitor associated with the eligible Submission having the highest cumulative verified Vote total at the conclusion of the Championship, after final audit and any applicable tie procedure.

Runner Up means one of the ten highest ranked unique eligible Competitors determined under these Official Rules after the Champion is removed from the final cumulative verified Vote ranking.

3. Competition Period

Early access begins September 13, 2026 at Barbercon Dallas. General worldwide access begins October 1, 2026. New Submissions close October 31, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time unless Sponsor announces a lawful extension.

Qualifying Votes remain open through November 7 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time. Top 20 voting runs November 8 through November 11. Top 10 voting runs November 12 through November 15. Final 5 voting runs November 16 through November 19. Final 2 Championship voting runs November 20 through November 24. November 25 is reserved for final integrity and eligibility review. No voting is scheduled for November 26. The Champion is scheduled to be announced November 27, 2026.

Barbercon Dallas early access is an intentional Competition benefit. An approved Submission that becomes live during early access may begin receiving Votes before general worldwide access begins.

4. Eligibility

The Competition is open worldwide where legally permitted to natural persons at least 18 years old at registration. Competitors must be legally licensed, certified, credentialed, authorized or otherwise permitted to perform the professional hair or grooming services shown in their Submissions to the extent required where they work.

Sponsor may request proof of identity, age, professional credentials, eligibility and professional affiliation at any time. Sponsor may restrict participation where legal, regulatory, tax, sanctions, privacy, Prize, shipping or administrative requirements make participation unlawful or impracticable.

5. Competitors and Represented Business

A Competitor participates as an individual professional and may submit up to three Submissions. Competition rights belong to the Competitor and are not controlled by the Represented Business.

The Competitor selects the Represented Business. The Competitor may update it if professional affiliation changes. Sponsor may verify the claimed affiliation. The verified Represented Business associated with the Competitor when final winner verification is completed controls Prize administration. The Represented Business has no authority to override the Competitor's choice of representation or claim ownership of the Competitor's Competition participation.

6. Registration and Verification

A Competitor must create an account, provide accurate requested information, satisfy professional verification requirements, accept the applicable Competition documents and receive Sponsor approval. A Voter must register and verify an account before casting Votes or posting Comments.

False, misleading, incomplete, borrowed, altered or fraudulent information may result in rejection, suspension or disqualification.

7. Submissions

Each verified Competitor may submit up to three videos. Each approved video and its associated title and description is a separate Submission. Each Submission must be between 30 seconds and 3 minutes, show professional hair or grooming work performed or directed by the Competitor, visibly feature and use at least one Imperial Barber Grade Products product, and comply with the Competition documents.

The portal upload is the official Submission. Social posting is encouraged but not required. Vertical video is strongly encouraged.

8. Submission Review

All Submissions are subject to Sponsor review before becoming public. Sponsor may approve, reject, return for changes, remove or disqualify a Submission that does not satisfy Competition requirements. A Submission does not begin receiving Votes until approved and live.

9. Razzle Dazzle Assistant

The Razzle Dazzle Assistant is optional and limited to writing assistance for proposed Submission titles and descriptions. A Competitor may use, modify, reject or ignore any suggestion.

The Razzle Dazzle Assistant does not create or edit Submission video content, evaluate professional skill, predict Competition performance, judge Submissions, assign scores, determine visibility, award Votes, influence advancement or determine the Champion.

AI suggestions may be inaccurate, incomplete, repetitive, unsuitable or similar to suggestions generated for others. The Competitor is responsible for reviewing and approving all text ultimately published. Use provides no guaranteed engagement, Likes, Comments, Votes, reach, advancement or other competitive benefit.

Text submitted to the feature may be processed by service providers supporting the feature. Competitors must not provide confidential, sensitive or unauthorized third party information.

10. Likes

Visitors may Like public Submissions without registering. Likes exist only to show portal engagement and community interaction. Likes are not Votes and have no effect on ranking, advancement, Runner Up placement, Prize eligibility or the Champion.

11. Comments

Registered users may post Comments where enabled. Comments exist for community interaction only. Comments are not Votes and have no effect on Competition results.

Sponsor may moderate, hide, remove or disable Comments at any time, including for harassment, threats, hate, discrimination, spam, scams, impersonation, personal information, explicit material, unlawful content, malicious links, manipulation attempts or other content Sponsor reasonably determines is inappropriate, disruptive or unsafe.

By posting a Comment, the user grants Sponsor a nonexclusive, worldwide, royalty free license to host, display, reproduce, distribute and otherwise use the Comment as reasonably necessary to operate, moderate, promote and archive the Competition portal. The user remains responsible for the Comment and must have the right to post it.

12. Votes

Votes are the sole competitive metric used to determine advancement and the Champion. Each verified Voter begins qualifying with five Votes and may place all available Votes on one eligible Submission or distribute them among eligible Submissions. Competitors may Vote, including for their own Submissions, under the same limits as every other Voter.

13. Vote Changes and Cumulative Voting

Votes unlocked during an active stage may be retracted and reallocated while that stage remains open where supported by the portal. Once a stage closes, Votes cast during that stage become final.

Votes never reset for an advancing Submission. Each verified Voter receives 5 qualifying Votes, 5 additional Votes when Top 20 opens, 5 additional Votes when Top 10 opens, 5 additional Votes when Final 5 opens and 1 additional Championship Vote when Final 2 opens. Votes on eliminated Submissions do not transfer.

14. Advancement

The 20 eligible Submissions with the highest cumulative verified Vote totals advance to Top 20. The 10 highest advance to Top 10. The five highest advance to Final 5. The two highest advance to Final 2. The eligible Final 2 Submission with the highest cumulative verified Vote total at close becomes the potential Champion, subject to final audit and verification.

15. Ties

If a tie affects advancement or the Championship, Sponsor may extend voting only for tied Submissions and may provide one additional tie Vote per verified Voter. Existing cumulative Votes remain in place. The process may repeat if necessary.

16. Voting Integrity

Votes must represent genuine activity by real verified individuals. Purchased Votes, bots, scripts, automation, vote farms, fabricated identities, duplicate identities, fraudulent accounts, credential sharing, casting Votes for another person, creating Voter accounts for others and other artificial manipulation are prohibited.

Legitimate campaigning is encouraged. Competitors may use clients, coworkers, friends, family, followers, businesses, communities, direct links, QR codes, social media and lawful paid or organic promotion. Each Voter must create their own account and personally cast their own Votes. Sponsor may investigate, freeze, invalidate, remove or adjust suspicious Votes or accounts.

17. First 50 Promotional Reward Program

The First 50 Program applies to up to the first 50 qualifying Competitors who obtain approved Submissions and complete the Lock action. It has no effect on Votes or advancement. Qualification order is determined by Sponsor records.

One approved Submission locked earns a Competition Shirt, Competition Drawstring Bag and Imperial Barber Grade Products 7 Inch Comb. The first 20 qualifying Competitors within the First 50 also receive one Imperial Barber Grade Products Straight Razor. Two approved Submissions locked together add one Barber Apron. Three approved Submissions locked together add one Barber Cape.

Once locked, the reward tier is final. Later Submissions do not increase a previously locked tier.

18. Champion and Runner Ups

After Championship voting and final audit, eligible Competitors are ranked by final cumulative verified Vote totals. The Champion is removed. The ten highest ranked remaining unique eligible Competitors become potential Runner Ups. If multiple Submissions from one Competitor occupy Runner Up positions, only that Competitor's highest ranked eligible Submission counts and Sponsor continues down the ranking until ten unique Runner Ups are identified.

19. Verification

Potential Prize recipients remain subject to identity, age, professional credential, Submission rights, Vote integrity, Competition compliance and Represented Business verification. Sponsor may require reasonable declarations, releases, tax information, business information, permissions, shipping information and other documentation.

20. Prizes

The Champion receives US $5,000 cash, the Championship title, Championship Trophy and official recognition. The Champion's verified Represented Business receives US $15,000 MSRP in eligible Imperial Barber Grade Products hair styling products over approximately 12 months, workstation packages for up to ten qualifying professionals, and official Winning Business recognition.

Ten unique Runner Ups receive the applicable Runner Up Prize package. Applicable Represented Businesses receive the wholesale benefits stated in the Official Prize Terms. First 50 promotional rewards are governed by the Official Prize Terms.

21. Prize Availability

Temporary unavailability does not eliminate an earned Prize. Imperial Barber Grade Products manufactured Prize items may be fulfilled after additional inventory is manufactured, restocked or produced. Prize components may ship separately.

For third party professional workstation equipment, the promised equipment category remains guaranteed, but Sponsor controls manufacturer, brand, model, finish and comparable professional equipment selection.

22. Taxes and International Charges

Prize recipients are responsible for applicable taxes, reporting obligations, customs, duties, tariffs, VAT, GST, brokerage and governmental charges except where Sponsor expressly agrees otherwise or applicable law requires otherwise.

23. Content Rights

Competitors retain ownership of their original Submission content while granting Sponsor the rights stated in the Entrance Agreement. Competitors are responsible for permissions covering identifiable people, music, artwork, locations, trademarks and other protected material.

24. Conduct

Harassment, threats, discriminatory abuse, impersonation, doxxing, hacking, sabotage, fraud, tampering or other conduct Sponsor reasonably determines undermines the Competition may result in content removal, Vote invalidation, account suspension or disqualification.

25. Technical Conditions

Sponsor is not responsible for network failures, device incompatibility, corrupted uploads, transmission failures, verification failures, platform outages, AI service interruptions or other technical circumstances outside Sponsor's reasonable control. Sponsor may pause, modify, suspend, extend or terminate an affected portion when technical, security, fraud, legal, platform or force majeure circumstances materially impair Competition integrity, to the extent permitted by law.

26. Release and Indemnity

To the fullest extent permitted by law, participants release Sponsor and its affiliates, officers, employees, agencies, service providers, fulfillment vendors, promotional partners, media partners, Prize providers and event partners from claims arising from Competition participation, Submissions, Votes, Likes, Comments, AI feature use, Prize acceptance or Prize use, except liability that cannot lawfully be waived.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, each Competitor agrees to defend, indemnify and hold Sponsor and the released parties harmless from third party claims arising from breach of the Competition documents, including ownership, copyright, trademark, music, privacy, publicity, permissions, professional authorization or inaccurate information.

27. Privacy and Communications

Personal information is handled under the Competition Privacy + Communications Notice and applicable Imperial Barber Grade Products Privacy Policy. Account verification and Competition administration communications are separate from optional promotional marketing.

28. Governing Law, Severability and Interpretation

To the extent permitted by applicable law and without limiting nonwaivable rights, these Official Rules are governed by California law. Disputes required to be brought in court shall be brought in a court of competent jurisdiction in Orange County, California unless applicable law requires otherwise.

If a provision is invalid or unenforceable in a jurisdiction, it applies to the maximum extent permitted and the remaining provisions continue where lawful. Sponsor's reasonable good faith decisions concerning eligibility, compliance, Vote integrity, technical administration and interpretation are final to the extent permitted by law.

Contact: competition@imperialbarberproducts.com