What a legitimate open casting looks like
A legitimate open casting is free at every stage, run by a company you can name and look up, and clear about what happens after you apply. It contacts you only from its official domain, and it never asks for money, bank or card details, an "application fee", a paid photo package, or private photographs. If any of those appear — before or after a shortlist — it is not a real casting, and you should stop.
The five marks of a real casting
A genuine scouting programme shares the same basic signals. It names a real legal entity, with a registration number and an address you can check. It publishes a privacy policy that says what happens to your photos and how to have them deleted. It applies clear eligibility rules up front — Meridia's contest rules set ours out in full: adults aged 18 to 26, open across the EU, the UK, Norway, Switzerland, Iceland and the Western Balkans. It writes to you only from its own domain, not a free webmail address. And it tells you the next step plainly: a shortlist, then a short meeting, still free.
Red flags that mean walk away
The single clearest sign of a scam is a request for money in any form: an "application" or "registration" fee, a "photo package", a paid workshop, or an upfront modelling-school course presented as the way in. Legitimate agencies and contests are paid by clients and brands once a model works — never by the candidate. Other red flags: pressure to decide today, a contract sent before any meeting, requests for your ID or banking details to "confirm" a place, messages from a personal social-media account rather than an official page, and any request for revealing or private photos. Our own guide on how to become a model in Europe covers the honest path in more detail.
What a real casting call asks for — and what it never asks
It asks for simple, honest photos
Face, waist-up and full length, in daylight against a plain wall, no filters. A phone camera is enough. It does not ask for a professional portfolio you have to pay a photographer for.
It asks for basic contact details
Name, age, city, height and a way to reach you — sent through the agency's own application form. It does not ask for your ID number, bank account or card details to apply.
It tells you what comes next
A legitimate casting explains that shortlisted applicants are invited to a short meeting — in person, or remote when travel is not possible — for digitals and a conversation. Still free, with no purchase in between.
How Meridia's casting works (no fees)
Meridia runs a free, season-long scouting contest across twelve European casting days, decided at a final in Paris. Applying online takes a few minutes and costs nothing. Every application is reviewed by the scouting team, and no one is ever asked to pay at any stage. Meridia's legal entity and terms are published on the about page.
Questions people ask
Should a modelling agency ever charge me to apply?
No. Applying to a legitimate agency or contest is free. Agencies earn from the clients who book their models, not from candidates.
Is a paid "photo package" or workshop normal?
No. A real casting reviews simple photos you take yourself. Being pushed to buy a photoshoot, a portfolio or a course before you are placed is a scam signal.
How do I check that an agency is real?
Look for a named legal entity with a registration number and address, a published privacy policy, and contact only from its official domain. If someone asks for money in Meridia's name, it is not us — report it to contact@meridiamodels.com.
See the full contest rules or check the 2026 tour dates in your city.