Being called the “best” is one thing. Being voted the Best Beauty School on Long Island by the community is something entirely different.
Long Island Beauty School was named the 2026 Best Beauty School on Long Island in the FourLeaf Best of Long Island competition. It’s a recognition we’re incredibly proud of — especially because earning the title starts with nominations and ultimately comes down to votes.
So, what does it actually take to become the Best Beauty School on Long Island?
First, You Have to Get Nominated
The FourLeaf Best of Long Island competition begins long before voting opens.
The official nomination period runs every year from January 1 through August 31. During that time, anyone with internet access can nominate businesses and professionals they believe deserve recognition.
Once nominations close and eligibility requirements are met, the top 15 nominees in each category are selected for the official ballot, with up to 40 potentially appearing in the event of ties.
That means before a school can even compete for the title, it first needs enough nominations to rise to the top of its category.
Then, It Comes Down to the Votes
Once the official ballot is set, voting begins.
The Best of Long Island voting period runs from October 1 through December 15, giving the public 75 days to support their favorites.
This is where the community really has its say.
The competition isn’t decided by a panel of judges evaluating one beauty school against another. Instead, winners are determined by the greatest number of verified votes in their category.
After voting closes, votes are tabulated and audited by a third-party contest platform, with safeguards in place to identify fraudulent voting or abuse.
And the competition is big. More than 1.3 million votes were cast across the 2026 Best of Long Island competition.
There’s Only One Local Winner
What makes the recognition even more exciting is that there isn’t a gold, silver and bronze winner in each category.
According to the official competition rules, the eligible local business or individual with the most verified votes is named the local Best of Long Island winner.
So, being named Best Beauty School on Long Island means that when the votes were counted and verified, Long Island Beauty School came out on top in its category.
Why Would People Vote for a Beauty School?
The competition itself doesn’t judge a school’s curriculum, instructors, facilities or student experience to determine the winner.
The people voting do.
And that’s what makes this recognition so meaningful to us.
People choose to nominate and vote based on their own experiences, relationships and reasons for supporting a business or organization.
For Long Island Beauty School, that community includes current students, graduates, families, clients and others who have gotten to know LIBS throughout the years.
For more than 80 years, LIBS has been part of beauty education on Long Island, helping aspiring beauty professionals develop their skills through classroom education and hands-on training.
Whether someone knows LIBS because they attended the school, visited our student salon, supported a friend or family member during their education, or simply knows our name from being part of the Long Island community, every vote represents a choice to support us.
More Than an Award — It’s Community Support
That’s why being voted Best Beauty School feels different from simply receiving an award.
We didn’t choose ourselves. Our community chose us.
Every nomination helped LIBS make its way into the competition. Every vote helped move us closer to the top. And when those votes were counted and verified, Long Island Beauty School earned the title of 2026 Best Beauty School on Long Island.
For us, that’s something worth celebrating.
Thank You, Long Island!
To everyone who nominated LIBS, voted, shared the competition with friends and family, or has supported Long Island Beauty School over the years: thank you.
This recognition belongs to the entire LIBS community — our students, graduates, educators, staff, clients, families and supporters who continue to be part of our story.
Being voted the Best Beauty School on Long Island is an honor.
But knowing that the title came from the support of the community we’ve been proud to serve for generations?
That makes it even more special.
