The pay-to-apply casting observatory
Every day we read casting calls from all over the world and publish only those that candidates can apply to without paying. These are the numbers of those checks, month by month, taken from our records. Last updated: 29 September 2026.
September 2026 (in progress)
- 753 calls read from the sources we follow every hour (from 15/9): 277 published after verification, 476 rejected, 0 still being checked.
- 26 rejected because they asked candidates for money to apply (5% of rejections).
- 537 new listings on the board this month, from every source (including those we search by hand).
- 362 came off at their deadline (from 7/9), 77 were taken off before it, 23 of them because the source asked candidates for money.
Why we rejected a call
| Reason | Calls | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Asked candidates for money to apply | 26 | 5% |
| Already closed: dates passed, applications closed, page removed or call cancelled | 137 | 29% |
| Not a casting call for performers: crew jobs, events, studio audiences, news | 121 | 25% |
| The organiser or the project could not be identified, or minors were sought without a named production | 105 | 22% |
| Already on the board from another source | 58 | 12% |
| No date or no way to apply | 9 | 2% |
| The source was not the page of the call, or does not allow republishing | 14 | 3% |
| Other reasons | 6 | 1% |
How the money was asked for
Among the calls rejected because they asked candidates for money, the request was:
- 3 — a fee or a paid registration
- 8 — a subscription to see or send the application
- 15 — paid priority over other applicants, or paid extra applications
Since the start
- 83 websites on our blocklist, 63 of them because they ask candidates for money (the others are pages without real calls or unsafe ones). We do not publish their names: this page counts our checks.
- 102 sources whose sign-up terms, FAQ and prices we read: 4 asked candidates for money to apply and were excluded.
- 1 report or removal request received through the removal page, recorded with its outcome.
Month by month
| Month | Calls read | Published after verification | Rejected | Rejected for asking money | New listings on the board | Taken off before the deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 2026 | 753 | 277 | 476 | 26 | 537 | 77 |
How we count
1. Calls read are those our reader finds every hour on the sources we follow, since 15 September 2026: each one is opened, verified at the source and decided, and the reason for every rejection is written down. Calls we search by hand count in the new listings, not in the calls read.
2. New listings are counted from the date each listing was first published; listings that came off from the archive of closed pages, which keeps the reason for every removal since 7 September 2026. The observatory starts in September 2026, the first month with complete records.
3. The current month changes every day; a closed month no longer changes. Where a number was not measured yet we write «—», never zero.
4. How every listing is verified, step by step: how we verify.
Candidates never pay. Every listing on the board takes you to its source, and applying is free.