LOS ANGELES—Adult lifestyle magazine Playboy today launches its latest global model search to identify the face of the brand’s exclusive collaboration with lingerie label Honey Birdette, “unveiling a casting competition aimed at redefining talent discovery and innovating audience acquisition,” a representative said.
Playboy and Honey Birdette’s competition invites aspiring models and creators worldwide to compete for the opportunity to front a global advertising campaign, appear in the pages of Playboy’s quarterly print magazine and win a cash prize of $100,000.
Second and third runners-up will receive a set of Honey Birdette lingerie of their choice and invitations to the Honey Birdette-Playboy Halloween party, a professional photo shoot experience and a special influencer gifting suite.
Contest judges include Honey Birdette CEO Kim Kidd, Playboy CBO-EIC Phillip Picardi, photographer Melissa Cartagena, Miss February 2026 Lauren Summer and The Great Playmate Search 2025 Inside Cover Model winner Ines Trocchia.
“At the center of the competition is strategic audience engagement, building on Playboy’s legacy for previous reader-driven contests like Playmate of the Year,” the rep sad. “Fans support contestants through engagement and votes, turning audience participation into a core driver of visibility, brand alignment and revenue through paid voting.”
“This is more than a model search—it’s a platform for the next generation of creators,” said Ben Kohn, CEO at Playboy, Inc. “We’re building a system where talent, content and commerce intersect, giving rising models and creators not just visibility, but real opportunity within the Playboy umbrella.”
Combining open casting, fan-driven voting and integrated brand partnerships, the new contest, along with the magazine’s original Playmate Search, “represents a new model for talent discovery that aligns with the rapidly evolving creator economy,” the rep added.
The Great Playmate Search, Playboy’s most recent search contest, attracted more than 1.7 million votes and 17,000 contestants, resulting in the casting of Instagram influencer Summer as Miss February. Her pictorial, shot by Alana O’Herlihy, appears in the Spring 2026 issue of Playboy, which features Latin music star Karol G on its cover.
Contest organizers note that every vote cast will benefit the Lynne Cohen Foundation, a national nonprofit dedicated to the early detection and prevention of breast and ovarian cancers, with a focus on women who face the greatest barriers to care.
With each vote, participants also receive a chance to win two tickets to an exclusive Playboy party, a $1,000 Honey Birdette shopping spree and a VIP boutique experience.
Models who would like to enter the contest can register here. Registration runs through June 8, at 1 p.m. PT.
Voting follows, with the final round closing on July 31.
