• June 30, 2003

Sports Illustrated has partnered with the AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour to find a model for the mag's 40th anniversary Swimsuit Issue, set to debut on February 16. The contest - dubbed "Nissan Presents Sports Illustrated Fresh Faces Swimsuit Model Search" - will run concurrently with four AVP tour events, starting on July 26 in Belmar, NJ. Later in the summer, the Fresh Faces will appear at Manhattan Beach, Huntington Beach and Chicago. "As some of the most beautiful women in the world grace the beaches of the AVP Nissan Series, we couldn't see a better fit for where the Fresh Faces search should take place," said Leonard Armato, commissioner of the AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour, in a press release. "I am confident that the AVP tour will serve as the ideal setting for such an exciting and legendary search." When the summer tour ends, the pool of would-be models will be narrowed to eight finalists, with the winner to be chosen via voting on SI.com. The program will also feature a broadcast component: each of the four swimsuit competitions will be aired as part of AVP volleyball coverage on NBC and Fox Sports Net, and Dateline NBC will unveil the contest winner just prior to the release of the 2004 Swimsuit Issue.