Meet the 15 first stage finalists in Face of 2018

Earlier this year we launched our filter-free modelling competition to find one man and one woman with a natural look - minus the Snapchat filters.

And here’s the 15 people who’ve made the first stage of the final.

Next our team of experts from the modelling and beauty industry will sit down with the images to come up with their shortlist which will then go to the public vote.

The winners will receive a prize worth £1,500 from the experts, which includes a photoshoot with Scott Spock Photography, which will appear in the Sunderland Echo, with styling for the shoot from Neville and Amanda; six months of hair styling complete with Milkshake hair products; a make up session with Amanda at her studio in Norton and a consultation, with the potential for a contract, at Savalas Models.

Anyone over the age of 16 could enter the competition, the only stipulation was that images submitted must be free of filters and make-up.

Celebrity hairdresser Neville, who’s styled the hair of everyone from Sting to Vogue editor Anna Wintour, said: “There’s so many beautiful faces out there, but it’s hard to see that these days with all the filters and make-up people use. Gone are the days where models all have to look the same with symmetrical faces, now we want someone who looks quirky and individual.

“You can have loads of freckles, a gap in your teeth, masses of red hair, curves - it’s all beautiful. There’s no boundaries. We don’t want someone who can take a picture, we want someone who can make a picture, someone who we can create an image with.”