How To Enter The Maxim Cover Girl x Salty Mermaid Competition

The winner will take home $30,000 and land a campaign-leading role with Salty Mermaid, a swimwear brand synonymous with cutting-edge style and beach-ready attitude.

Maxim Cover Girl has teamed up with Salty Mermaid Swim to launch a one-of-a-kind modeling competition, and we’re on the hunt for the next breakout star. Salty Mermaid is searching for a fresh, fearless face to embody its free-spirited, trailblazing mantra, and Maxim Cover Girl is ready to lift the rising model into the spotlight. Think you’ve got the look, the presence, and the confidence to own it? Prove it. Join now.

A Miami Swim Week staple that’s been featured in the Miss USA pageant, Elle, and Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition, Salty Mermaid is a brand built on friendship, fun, and the kind of confidence that commands attention. Founded by women and driven by the belief that swimwear should ignite self-assurance, celebrate individuality, and inspire joy, Salty Mermaid honors the magic of feeling bold, beautiful, and unapologetically yourself.

Sustainability isn’t just a promise at Salty Mermaid—it’s their mission. As the face of their next campaign, the winner will help champion a brand that’s as devoted to protecting the planet as it is to creating striking, body-positive swimwear. For every purchase made, Salty Mermaid plants a tree, an effort that’s already yielded 1,107 saplings, which have captured 203 tons of carbon dioxide and produced 1,107 tons of oxygen.

To meaningfully reduce environmental impact, Salty Mermaid partners with responsible local suppliers and works with a highly skilled workforce—the majority of whom are women from the surrounding community—employed under proper labor laws, safe working conditions, and fair standards.

Salty Mermaid’s swimwear is crafted using regenerated and recycled materials sourced from certified mills, helping divert waste from landfills and waterways while giving it new life through our collections.

Select fabrics used in our pieces are tested under Oeko-Tex Standard 100, a globally recognized product-safety certification, which verifies materials have been evaluated for harmful substances. This reflects Salty Mermaid’s commitment to safer textile choices and continuous improvement across our production process as we evolve our sustainability efforts with transparency and responsibility.

The MCG x Salty Mermaid competition begins with a public voting phase. Contestants will work to rise to the top of their group, navigate the elimination rounds, and persist through the semi-finals and finals—all while judges watch at every step.

From there, six standout models will be chosen for an exclusive Salty Mermaid brand photoshoot in Los Angeles, California. When the cameras stop rolling, the judges will deliberate and crown the winner, who will claim $30,000 as well as a place as the new face of Salty Mermaid.

This is your moment to make waves and show the world what you’re made of. Enter the Maxim Cover Girl x Salty Mermaid competition here.

Want to make your voice count? Create a free Maxim VIP account here and show your support with every click. Help your favorite model secure an interview with the judges by casting your vote.