An aspiring model from Prince Albert is hoping to win a competition that would put her on the cover of Maxim magazine.
Theresa Smith entered the Maxim Cover Girl contest after seeing it a couple of years in a row.
The contest allows members of the public to vote for their favourite model in a series of elimination votes. The winner receives a $25,000 grand prize, their photo on the front page of Maxim magazine and a photoshoot with photographer Gilles Bensimon, who has photographed celebrities such as Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Tyra Banks, Beyonce, Madonna and Linda Evangelista. He has also been the photographer on the reality television series America’s Next Model.
“It was always something I had an interest in applying for. I really like modelling, I like taking pictures and I thought it would be a really fun experience.”
Smith has shot with local photographers in the Prince Albert and Saskatoon areas. A Maxim shoot, she said, would be a “huge gig.”
Smith, who is from Prince Albert and attended Carlton Comprehensive High School, describes herself in her competition portfolio as a “fun-loving aspiring model and actress,” who loves being on stage and behind the camera.
She’s appeared in a handful of local shows with Odyssey Productions and Spark Theatre.
On her contest page, she writes that her secret talent is yodeling — a skill she taught herself off of Youtube and pulls out “every now and then for the shock value.”
She said she would use the winnings as a down payment on a house and a small trip once travel is allowed again.
After a few nerve-wracking preliminary rounds, Smith learned this week that she had made the quarter finals, representing the top one per cent of the competition. As of press time Friday, she was sitting in sixth place in her group.
“It felt really exciting,” she said.
“It was really, really nerve-wracking watching the second countdown to the end. I felt overwhelmed with gratitude with how much support I got from friends and family.”
People can vote once per day for free for their favourite model in the competition, or they can purchase votes through a donation to Homes for Wounded Warriors, a charity looking to build and remodel handicap accessible homes for disabled veterans.
“The competition is getting tough now,” Smith said.
“Everyone is very deserving.”
She’s still hoping to move forward, and is grateful for all the support she’s received so far.
“I’ve had such a positive response from everybody. Everybody was so supportive,” Smith said. “I couldn’t have done it without the support of all of my friends and family.”
For more information, or to vote online, visit https://maximcovergirl.com/2021/theresa-smith
