To get signed by a modeling agency, apply through the route each agency names on its own website (usually an online form, sometimes email, post or a walk-in), send simple, recent, unedited photos and accurate measurements exactly as that agency asks, and then let the agency come back to you. Several of the agencies quoted below state that they never charge applicants, so a submission should cost you time and organization, not money. The checklist, email template and tracker in this guide cover each step, including when it makes sense to reapply.
What agencies say they want from applicants
There is no industry-wide application format, so start with each agency's own page. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics, in its occupational profile of models, says models typically apply by submitting photographs through an agency's website or by attending open casting calls, and that most agencies let applicants email photos, then contact and interview the ones who show potential. The current pages of several well-known agencies, checked on October 2, 2026, show how much the details vary.
| Agency page | How it takes applications | What it asks you to send | Worth noting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Storm Management, London | Online form, plus weekday walk-in hours at its London office | Headshot, mid-length and full-length photos with no filters, retouching or makeup, natural hair and a neutral expression, and no selfies | Only shortlisted applicants are contacted, and staff email only from the agency's own domains |
| Next Management | Online recruitment form, chosen by city | Close-up, side, full-length, upper-body and eye photos, with height and optional measurements | Open calls are cancelled until further notice; it says it never asks for payment or for nude or underwear photos |
| Elite Model Management | Online get-scouted form for each of its cities | Recent images including a headshot and a full-length shot | Says its scouts and agents never request payment for representation or nude or lingerie photos |
| IMG Models | Online get-scouted form that opens with an age check | Its FAQ for younger applicants asks for natural daylight snapshots and says professional photos are not necessary | States it never asks for nude or lingerie photos and requires no payment |
| Wilhelmina | Online form by city and by division | Images, contact details, date of birth and current location | Applicants must have lawful status to live and work in the territory they pick |
| Chadwick Models, Australia | Email or post to the nearest office; meetings by appointment only | Recent snapshots with measurements and contact details | Publishes minimum heights and a limit on total email size |
| Priscillas, Sydney | Online form | Height, waist, bust, hips, dress and shoe size, hair and eye color, and up to four images | Also asks for social media handles |
Two patterns stand out. None of these pages asks for a paid professional shoot at the application stage, and Storm specifically wants photos that have not been filtered or retouched. Several also warn about people impersonating their scouts, which is why the route you use matters as much as the photos you send.
Prepare your digitals and stats before you open any form
Digitals are plain, current photos that let an agency see your face, skin, hair and proportions without styling. The BFMA, the UK trade body for model agencies, says in its guide to frauds and scams that you do not need to buy a portfolio before approaching an agent: a couple of snapshots, a headshot and a full-length, are enough for an agency to judge how you photograph. Build one clean set, then send only the frames each agency asks for.
- Shoot in daylight against a plain wall, with someone else holding the camera at roughly chest height.
- Wear simple fitted clothing in a plain color, with your hair natural and pulled off your face for at least one frame.
- Skip makeup, filters, beauty apps and retouching, since agencies are judging the face they would actually book.
- Cover the usual angles: close-up headshot, profile, mid-length and full-length, plus any extra a form names, such as Next's eye shot.
- Measure your height without shoes and take every measurement a form requests on the same day as the photos.
- Retake the set after a haircut, a color change or any visible change in your look, so nothing you send is out of date.
- Name the files plainly, for example firstname-lastname-full-length, and keep the whole set in one folder.
- Check each form's file type and size limits before you upload or attach anything.
- If a form asks for social media handles, make sure the profile is public and reflects how you look now.
- If you are under 18, stop here: agencies require a parent or guardian to be part of the application, and this guide is written for adults.
Online form, email, post or walk-in
Use the route the agency names, and nothing else. Most of the agencies above take applications through online forms. Storm also lists weekday walk-in hours for its London office, while Next says its open calls are cancelled until further notice and Chadwick sees applicants by appointment only. So the BLS description of open calls is a fair general picture, but not a promise that a particular agency still runs them.
Email and post still work where an agency invites them. Chadwick's page asks for snapshots with measurements and contact details sent to its nearest office, warns that an email over 2 megabytes including attachments will not be received, and asks for a stamped self-addressed envelope if you want posted pictures back. Wilhelmina's form makes you choose a city and notes that you must be lawfully able to live and work there, which is worth checking before you apply to agencies abroad.
Whatever the route, find the contact details on the agency's official website yourself. If someone messages you claiming to scout for an agency, send nothing until you have checked them through the agency's published phone number or email address. Storm says its staff only email from its own domains, and Next asks people to call one of its offices directly to verify anyone claiming to represent it. The wider pattern of fake scouts is covered in our guide to modeling agency scams and how to check an agency.
A short submission email you can adapt
Only email an agency that invites email submissions, and keep it brief, because the photos do the work. Put the essentials in the subject line so the right board can sort it, attach only the frames the agency asks for, and stay inside any size limit it publishes.
Subject line: New model submission, [first and last name], [city], [height]
Hello [office or board name],
I am [age, 18 or over] and live in [city], and I would like to be considered for your [women's, men's, curve or other] board.
Height: [centimeters and feet and inches]. Other measurements: [only the ones your page asks for].
Attached are [number] recent, unretouched digitals: [headshot, profile, mid-length, full-length]. Public Instagram: [handle, only if requested].
I can meet at your office or by video call, and I have the right to work in [country].
Thank you for looking, [name], [phone], [email]
Send each agency its own email rather than copying several into one message, leave out any professional portfolio unless the page asks for it, and never include identity documents or bank details in a first contact.
What happens after you submit
Be ready for silence. Storm says that, because of the volume of applications, it only contacts shortlisted applicants, and Next says someone will be in touch if it feels you have the right look. The FAQs that IMG and Storm publish for younger applicants describe the next step for a successful application as a follow-up meeting or video call that explains representation and development.
An interested agency may test-shoot you before deciding. The BFMA's page on starting out as a model says a reputable agency will arrange professional test photography first, and that you will never be charged for tests unless you are taken on, and not before you have earned enough. Before you sign anything, read how bookings and money flow in how modeling agencies work, then go through the modeling agency contract checklist. If the offer uses words you do not recognize, the modeling terminology glossary explains them.
Keep follow-up light. If an agency's page says it only replies to shortlisted applicants, treat silence as a no for now instead of sending reminders. If you met an agent in person or by video and were told to expect news by a certain time, one polite email after that time has passed is reasonable.
Track every submission and set a reapply trigger
A simple tracker stops you resending identical photos to the same board and shows when your materials need refreshing. None of the agency pages checked for this guide publishes a waiting period before reapplying, so set your own trigger: reapply when something material has changed, such as new digitals, a move to another city, a change in your look, or a new board opening at that agency.
| Agency and office | Board | Date sent | Route | What you sent | Response | Reapply trigger |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Example: Agency A, London | Women's mainboard | [date] | Online form | Digitals set one, four frames | No reply; its page says only shortlisted applicants hear back | New digitals after a haircut |
| Example: Agency B, Sydney | Men's board | [date] | Email to the city office, under the size limit | Digitals set one with measurements | Invited to an office meeting | Not needed; bring a friend to the meeting |
| Example: Agency C, New York | Commercial | [date] | Online form | Digitals set two | Declined, with a suggestion to try another agency | After moving cities; note the agency suggested |
The BFMA notes that an agency turning you down will often point you to others that may suit your look better, so record those suggestions. Keep the tracker private: it is your contact history, not something you send to anyone.
Red lines while you are applying
The US Federal Trade Commission's guide to modeling scams says real agencies will not ask you to pay for a test shoot, for photographs or to secure your spot, and that they pay you after the client pays them. Stop and verify if any of these happen during an application:
- You are asked to pay to apply, to hold your place, or to be signed.
- You are told an agency will only consider you after you book its photographer, classes or a portfolio package.
- Someone asks for nude or underwear photos; IMG, Next and Elite all say they never request them.
- An interview is set up from a personal social media account rather than the agency's published contacts.
- You are pushed to sign the same day; the FTC's point is that a good offer today should still be good tomorrow.
- An unexpected text invites you to a virtual casting call, a tactic the FTC described in its December 2025 alert on casting call scams.
Which charges are lawful varies by country and state, and the rules are compared in do modeling agencies charge fees.
Limitations of this guide
This guide summarizes what a handful of agencies' public pages said when checked on October 2, 2026. Those pages change, every agency looks for different people, and following each step does not mean any agency will reply or offer representation. It is written for adults; under-18 applicants need a parent or guardian under each agency's own rules. Work rights, visas and agency laws differ by country, so check them before applying abroad, and get independent legal advice before you sign a representation agreement.