Concerned Alberta’s Next Top Model contestants are making waves because they feel the competition may have been a scam. Eighteen year-old G.P. Vanier graduate Amanda Seary was one model who entered the competition. There were tryouts in both Edmonton and Calgary on July 1 and 2. Judges were apparently from fashion outlets in Toronto and Vancouver. Seary auditioned in Edmonton at the Fairmont hotel on July 1. She explains that she made it through the first round of auditions and was told she’d be contacted at a later date to continue into step two of the competition. She was told she would get a phone call in Sept., but to this day she has not received any word. “My friend told me about the Alberta’s next top model competition and I was really excited to try out,” says Seary. “Now though after being told we be contacted in Sept. and still haven’t heard anything, we think it could be a scam.” Each model had to pay an entrance fee of $300. Many of the contestants were told such things as “Your nails are not professionally manicured, you can’t get through”. Each contestant was expected to have a professional photo shoot done. The Alberta’s Next Top Model board said they had the top professional photographers available to do the shots. Many of the parents were told there were no credible photographers in Edmonton. A professional photographer from Edmonton says there have been a number of scams in Edmonton recently, and she is tired of hearing about young models being suckered. “It is unfair for these people to sink their claws into young models,” says the photographer who preferred to remain unidentified. “Even when the models had professional pictures taken they were told they were not good enough and they could not advance in the competition.” There is currently an identical competition being held in Quebec and the media in the province has begun to investigate its validity. The models just want to have an answer so they can move on. Many want proof the competition was not a scam and they just were misinformed. And if it was a scam, they don’t want this to happen to others. It’s not just about the money, it’s about having a fair opportunity.