Josh Goldsworthy and Sophie-Rose Goldsworthy, from Goldsworthys Hairdressing in Swindon, were crowned winners at the 2026 Colour World Genius Awards, held at Poulet Bar in London on Monday 29th June.
Josh won the Creative Colour Genius award, while Sophie was named Colourtastic Genius, one of the competition’s flagship categories.
The Colour World Genius Awards are dedicated exclusively to hair colouring and are now in their eighth year. The awards celebrate excellence in colour work across the profession, with finalists and winners judged by panels of leading UK and international hair colourists and colour specialists.
According to Sophie, the awards are judged by “UK and international hair colourists and colour specialists”, making the recognition particularly significant within the industry.
The latest success adds to an already remarkable list of honours for the Swindon salon group.
Josh is no stranger to national recognition, having previously been named Professional Hairdresser of the Year at the Pro Hair Awards, while Sophie was crowned The Cut magazine’s Colour Expert of the Year in 2025. Goldsworthys itself has also collected numerous industry awards over recent years, including Salon Team of the Year at the British Hairdressing Business Awards.
Founded in 1961, Goldsworthys’ Swindon salon on Catherine Street is the flagship of the family business and also hosts the company’s training academy, where the next generation of stylists are developed. Josh serves as Director and Colour Specialist, while Sophie is the Swindon salon manager, senior stylist and colour specialist, as well as leading the academy.
Josh’s award-winning entry was part of last year’s acclaimed CHROMACRE collection, with the striking grey, pink and black bob image securing the Creative Colour Genius title. Sophie’s winning submission took a different approach, being judged as a portfolio that showcased the breadth of her colour work, alongside her educational contributions to the industry. The portfolio highlighted her work as an educator, including her collaboration with L’Oréal, demonstrating not only exceptional technical ability but also her role in helping develop the next generation of hair colourists.
The double triumph is another boost for Swindon’s reputation in the hairdressing industry, with two local colour specialists recognised among the very best in the country for their creativity, technical skill and passion for hair colour.
Images from the whole collection:
