Australia's main agencies — Chadwick Models, Chic Management, Vivien's Models, Wink Models and GIANT Management — differ less in prestige than in who they sign and how you apply. Chadwick and Vivien's publish hard minimums (173 cm for women, 183 cm for men), Chic asks for three unretouched photos through an online form and states no height, and Wink is a commercial and specialist-category agency that, at the time of our check, had paused applications because its books were full. Below: what each one actually asks for, how fees are charged in Australia, and the rules that apply if the applicant is under 16. All details come from the agencies' own websites and Australian government pages as of late October 2026; agencies change requirements, so confirm on the agency page before sending anything.
Who signs whom: five agencies compared
Chadwick Models runs city sites for Sydney, Melbourne and Perth. Its women's and men's boards are split into Image, Mainboard and New Faces, Sydney also lists a non-binary Mainboard, and Perth adds Classic, Curve and Casting boards plus a linked Chadwick Academy. The agency's own application page sets a minimum of 5'8" / 173 cm for women and 6'0" / 183 cm for men, and says applicants in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth are seen by appointment only.
Vivien's Models has four offices: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth. Sydney lists Mainboard, Women, Development, Curve and Men; Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth list Women, Development, Classic, Curve and Men, and a separate Social Talent page covers influencers. Its eligibility rule is the most specific of the five: women aged 14–20 and over 173 cm, men over 16 and at least 183 cm.
Chic Management is based at Woollahra in Sydney and has a separate Chic Management Brisbane division (see our Chic Management Brisbane page). Its women's side has Mainboard, Development and Abroad boards, the men's side Mainboard and Development; the group also runs Scoop Management, Chic Talent Management, Chic Digital Creative, The Edit Agency and an influencer division. It states no minimum height or age on the application page.
Wink Models has its head office in Darlinghurst, Sydney, and lists Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne. Its categories are Fitness and Sport, Lingerie, Real Families, Fashion, Curve and Plus Size, First Nations, Hand and Swimwear, and it says it represents talent from 16 to 82 years old. That breadth is the main difference: it books commercial and specialist work where a fixed height line matters less.
GIANT Management is listed in our catalog as a Melbourne agency (GIANT Management profile); its own site was not readable when we checked, so we have no confirmed requirements for it. For a wider view of the city, see all modelling agencies in Sydney in our directory.
How to apply to each, step by step
- Chadwick: email recent snapshots, your measurements and contact details to the office nearest you; the total email, attachments included, must not exceed 2 MB or the agency will not receive it. Postal submissions are accepted; enclose a stamped self-addressed envelope to get photos back.
- Vivien's: three routes. Walk in on weekdays 10am–12pm or 2pm–4pm (Melbourne 2pm–4pm, Monday to Thursday only) with little or no make-up and no appointment; email natural, unfiltered images to your city's address (12 MB total); or use the online form (name, age, height, contacts, state; one photo required, up to four, 3 MB each).
- Chic: the Get Scouted form requires date of birth, whether you are new or experienced, height, and three colour images: a relaxed front-facing portrait, a side profile with hair pulled back to show the jaw, and a full-length shot. No retouching or filters; up to 5 MB each. Professional photos are not needed. For under-16s, the person submitting must confirm they have permission.
- Wink: applications go through its Become a Model page. At the time of our check the page said applications were paused because the books were full and were planned to reopen in late October 2026, so check the page for the current status.
What the agency charges in Australia
The clearest published numbers come from Chadwick's terms and conditions, which are written for clients booking talent. The agency charges a booking fee of 20% of the total artist rate including usage fees, plus GST — 22% in total — and calls it mandatory and non-negotiable. That is a charge on the client's side; the model's own commission is set in the representation agreement, which the page does not state. Another Sydney agency, Priscillas, publishes the same 20% booking fee in its terms.
The same terms show how a booking day is priced: normal working hours are 7am–6pm Monday to Saturday; outside those hours time and a half applies; sleepwear is time and a half and underwear double time; booked hours are the minimum payable. Cancellation costs the client 50% of the artist fee if notice is under two working days and 100% if under one working day. Standard catalogue usage is one image, one year from the shoot date, Australia only; longer or wider usage must be negotiated. Clients may not use AI or generative tools on a model's likeness without written permission.
On your side, the Australian government's creative workplaces guide for NSW and Queensland lists a 10% commission cap in the entertainment agent rules it describes, bans charging performers for auditioning, retention or signing a contract in NSW (Queensland instead bars fees for finding work and for interview preparation), and says representatives must pay out within 14 days (NSW) or 7 days (Queensland) of receiving the money. That guide is written for performers and agents; its Queensland section names models explicitly, so ask any agency which rules its contract falls under. The general warning is the same as everywhere: be wary of paying a "registration" or "portfolio" fee to get signed. Our guides on how models get paid and red flags when signing with an agency cover the mechanics and warning signs.
If the applicant is under 16
New South Wales regulates the employment of children under 16 in modelling through the Office of the Children's Guardian. The employer must hold a valid authority covering the job dates, must notify the Office at least 7 days before employment starts and must follow the Code of Practice on hours, supervision and conditions. Chadwick's terms repeat this: only employers with a current Authority Number may hire models under 16 in NSW. Both Chic and Vivien's accept applications for young applicants — Vivien's from 14, Chic with a parent or guardian's permission — so a teenager does not need to wait.
Which agency fits which applicant
- You are 173 cm or taller and 14–20 (women) or 183 cm and 16+ (men): Vivien's and Chadwick are the clearest fits, since both publish the line.
- You are under the usual runway height or older than the new-face window: Wink's commercial, curve, lingerie, hand and "real families" categories and its 16–82 range are built for you.
- Your height is uncertain or you are in Brisbane: the Chic form takes it as a field and asks for three simple photos; see the Brisbane page.
- You are looking for work now rather than representation: browse open castings and the full agency directory.
