5 Frame-Worthy Moments From Swim Search Winner Rookie Photo Shoots

Learn how the open casting call impacted the lives of these SI Swimsuit models.

Christen Harper was photographed by Ben Watts in Barbados. / Ben Watts/Sports Illustrated

These five SI Swimsuit models got their start at the magazine thanks to Swim Search—the brand’s annual open call—and they cemented their legacies with these iconic rookie photo shoots.

Camille Kostek

Camille Kostek was photographed by Josie Clough on Kangaroo Island, South Australia. Swimsuit by MESHKI. / Josie Clough/Sports Illustrated

Now an SI Swimsuit Legend, Kostek was captured by Josie Clough’s lens in Kangaroo Island during this 2019 shoot. The model was the inaugural co-winner of Swim Search alongside Haley Kalil.

“Getting this platform opens the doors for you,” Kostek reflected. In the same year as her rookie shoot, the Connecticut native also scored her first cover, noting, “I always say, I’ll be like 192 and I will forever be obsessed with this moment in my life.”

Haley Kalil

Haley Kalil was photographed by Yu Tsai in Kenya. Swimsuit by DEVIANT LE VIE. / Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

Kalil traveled to Kenya for her rookie debut in 2019 and returned to the fold two more times in Scrub Island, BVI and Hollywood, Fla.

“Sports Illustrated Swimsuit has truly opened up so many doors for me,” Kalil told the magazine. “The clients that I’ve checked off my dream list, I can’t even imagine that I’ve worked with them, and it is all thanks to the SI Swim Search.”

Brooks Nader

Brooks Nader was photographed by Yu Tsai in Bali, Indonesia. Swimsuit by Gigi C Bikinis. / Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

The following cycle, Nader took home the crown as Swim Search’s 2019 winner and touched down in Bali for her rookie shoot in 2020.

“I feel like I was just standing in line for the Swim Search, trying to be around the magazine and meet the team—and [back then] that to me seemed like such a far-fetched dream,” Nader said in 2024. “To now being considered a legend [...] I can’t even describe how incredibly special this moment is.”

Katie Austin

Katie Austin photographed by James Macari in Montenegro. Swimsuit by ViX Paula Hermanny. Bracelets and rings by SOKO. / James Macari/Sports Illustrated

Austin joined her now-bestie Christen Goff with rookie shoots in the magazine’s 2022 edition, stopping in Montenegro with photographer James Macari.

“I remember vividly questioning filming my audition. Sounds kinda dramatic, but it took a lot in me to go after it again and put myself out there. I was caught up in what others would think and be embarrassed,” Austin wrote on Instagram. “I hope this is a true example of what GOING FOR IT looks like to you. It’s about taking risks, and letting go of any fear and others’ opinions!!!”

Christen Goff

Christen Goff was photographed by Ben Watts in Barbados. Swimsuit by Solid & Striped. Vintage earrings. / Ben Watts/Sports Illustrated

While in Barbados for her first shoot in the fold, Goff told the magazine that her experience was a “full circle moment.”

“I became a model because I wanted to be a Sports Illustrated model. They inspired me and they gave me confidence as a young girl and here I am today,” Goff gushed in 2022. “I just hope I can do that other girls—inspire them, make them love themselves—because that's all that matters.”

Next. Introducing the 2025 SI Swim Search Finalists. Introducing the 2025 SI Swim Search Finalists. dark