At the Westin Bonaventure on Feb. 14, 2026, MUAHS honored standout make-up and hair work across film, television and live productions, with Sinners, One Battle After Another and Frankenstein leading film wins and Amy Madigan receiving the Distinguished Artisan Award.
The Make-Up Artists & Hair Stylists Guild (MUAHS, IATSE Local 706) held its 13th annual awards ceremony on Feb. 14, at the Westin Bonaventure in Los Angeles. The event honored technical achievement in make-up and hair across film, television and live stage work.
Hosted by Rachael Harris, the gala highlighted film categories that often align with the Academy Awards. The ceremony also presented honorary distinctions to long-serving contributors, underscoring the guild’s recognition of both individual careers and collaborative teams. Winners ranged from period make-up and hair designs to prosthetic and special-effects make-up, illustrating the departments’ central role in shaping character and visual storytelling.
The Make-Up Artists & Hair Stylists Guild honored distinct approaches to period and contemporary design at the ceremony. Sinners, from Warner Bros, won Best Period and/or Character Make-Up and Best Period and/or Character Hair Styling. The film’s awards recognized extensive character work and looks that evoked specific historical moments.
Another Warner Bros. title, One Battle After Another, claimed the evening’s contemporary prizes with Best Contemporary Make-Up and Best Contemporary Hair Styling. Judges cited the film’s modern, gritty aesthetic and the ways make-up and hair supported its narrative realism.
Netflix’s Frankenstein received Best Special Make-Up Prosthetics. The award highlighted meticulous prosthetic construction and transformative creature work that altered performers’ appearances for sustained, screen-ready effect.
These wins underscored the guild’s emphasis on craft across historical reconstruction, present-day realism, and prosthetic transformation. The awards reinforced the central role of make-up and hair departments in defining character and visual storytelling for feature films.
The three films—Sinners, One Battle After Another and Frankenstein—also figure in the wider industry conversation for makeup and hairstyling honors. The Make-Up Artists & Hair Stylists Guild (MUAHS) has a noted record of predicting Academy recognition. Winners have frequently overlapped with the Academy, although the guild and the Academy sometimes diverge in their choices.
Television, specials and children’s programming highlighted a broad spectrum of approaches. Entries ranged from restrained period work to elaborate prosthetic and character designs. The categories rewarded both subtle craftsmanship and headline-grabbing transformations. Technical skill and narrative intent were central to many nominations, underscoring the departments’ role in shaping televised storytelling.
Technical skill and narrative intent were central to many nominations, underscoring the departments’ role in shaping televised storytelling.
Television categories distributed accolades across streaming platforms and network staples. Saturday Night Live led the TV winners with three awards. The program won for its 50th anniversary special under Best period and/or character hair styling and received recognition in make-up categories for live sketches.
Apple TV+ series The Studio and Palm Royale each secured multiple wins. The Studio was honored for contemporary make-up and hair. Palm Royale won for period character styling.
The split between contemporary and period honours illustrated the guild’s range. Voters recognised both current looks and historically informed craft across network and streaming productions.
Voters recognised both current looks and historically informed craft across network and streaming. In the children and teen programming field, Disney+’s Skeleton Crew won two awards, underscoring that work aimed at younger audiences requires the same technical precision and creative versatility as adult programming.
Live theatrical categories honoured productions on Broadway and regional stages. The stage adaptation of Frankenstein at Segerstrom Center for the Arts received an award for integrated make-up and hair design. San Francisco Opera’s The Monkey King earned a similar honour, highlighting craft applied in opera staging.
The evening also included several honorary awards presented by IATSE Local 706. Actress Amy Madigan received the Distinguished Artisan Award for a career-long collaboration with make-up and hair professionals and for creating memorable character looks, notably in the film Weapons.
Make-up artist Greg Nelson was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award for Make-Up. Nelson is known for landmark work on projects such as Raging Bull and Michael Jackson’s Thriller.
Hairstylist Judy Alexander Cory received the Lifetime Achievement Award for Hair Stylists. Her credits include Forrest Gump and The Matrix, reflecting a longstanding contribution to character and period styling.
Nickelodeon make-up veteran Michael Johnston was honored with the Vanguard Award for his sustained contributions to televised children’s programming. The award recognizes innovation and service within broadcast and youth-focused content.
The ceremony also honored achievements across film, television and stage, continuing a programme of individual and lifetime recognitions announced earlier. The following are principal film winners and select television and stage victors named during the event.
Best special make-up prosthetics was awarded to Frankenstein (Netflix). The prize recognized complex prosthetic work central to the film’s visual storytelling.
Best period/character make-up and best period/character hair styling went to Sinners (Warner Bros. Pictures / HBO Max). Judges cited the teams’ attention to historical detail and consistent character continuity.
Best contemporary make-up and best contemporary hair styling were awarded to One Battle After Another (Warner Bros. Pictures / HBO Max). The awards acknowledged work that supported present-day narratives and character development.
Further category winners and a full list of honorees follow later in this report.
Further category winners highlighted achievements across television and live performance. In television, Stranger Things (Season 5) won for special make-up prosthetics. Palm Royale received the award for period character make-up and hair. The Studio took the prize for contemporary make-up and hair.
Saturday Night Live was recognized multiple times in the specials and live program categories. Skeleton Crew emerged as a double winner in children’s programming.
Live stage awards honored both national and regional productions. The Segerstrom Center for the Arts production of Frankenstein received recognition, while regional achievement was noted for The Monkey King at San Francisco Opera. Further category winners and a full list of honorees follow later in this report.
The MUAHS Awards reflect the guild’s focus on the collaborative craft that converts written scripts into embodied characters. Nominations for the calendar year covered 20 categories across film, television, music videos and live stage work. These categories underscore the varied environments where make-up artists and hair stylists shape visual storytelling.
The announcement follows earlier reporting on category winners and precedes a full list of honorees published later in this report. The slate of nominees highlights both technical innovation and period-specific artistry, reinforcing the industry’s reliance on those crafts for narrative and character authenticity.