diff --git a/contracts/campaign-escrow/src/storage.rs b/contracts/campaign-escrow/src/storage.rs
index 7efdf95..aec3e49 100644
--- a/contracts/campaign-escrow/src/storage.rs
+++ b/contracts/campaign-escrow/src/storage.rs
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 #![allow(dead_code)]
 
 use ads_bazaar_shared::CampaignId;
-use soroban_sdk::{contracttype, Address, Env, String, Vec};
+use soroban_sdk::{contracttype, Address, Env, String};
 
 use crate::error::Error;
 use crate::types::{Application, Campaign};
@@ -34,10 +34,10 @@ pub enum DataKey {
     /// Whether the contract is currently paused. See `require_not_paused`
     /// and `pause`/`unpause` in `lib.rs`.
     Paused,
-    /// Ordered list of creator addresses that have applied to a campaign.
-    /// Used by `update_campaign_metadata` to enforce that the brief is
-    /// locked once any creator has applied.
-    CampaignApplicants(CampaignId),
+    /// Count of creators that have applied to a campaign. Used by
+    /// `update_campaign_metadata` to enforce that the brief is locked once
+    /// any creator has applied.
+    ApplicantCount(CampaignId),
 }
 
 pub fn is_initialized(env: &Env) -> bool {
@@ -173,18 +173,14 @@ pub fn set_paused(env: &Env, paused: bool) {
     env.storage().instance().set(&DataKey::Paused, &paused);
 }
 
-/// Append `creator` to the applicants list for `campaign_id`. Called from
+/// Increment the applicant count for `campaign_id`. Called from
 /// `apply_to_campaign` so `update_campaign_metadata` can lock the brief
-/// once at least one creator has applied.
-pub fn add_campaign_applicant(env: &Env, campaign_id: CampaignId, creator: &Address) {
-    let key = DataKey::CampaignApplicants(campaign_id);
-    let mut applicants: Vec<Address> = env
-        .storage()
-        .persistent()
-        .get(&key)
-        .unwrap_or(Vec::new(env));
-    applicants.push_back(creator.clone());
-    env.storage().persistent().set(&key, &applicants);
+/// once at least one creator has applied. O(1) regardless of how many
+/// creators have applied, unlike an ever-growing list of applicants.
+pub fn add_campaign_applicant(env: &Env, campaign_id: CampaignId, _creator: &Address) {
+    let key = DataKey::ApplicantCount(campaign_id);
+    let count: u32 = env.storage().persistent().get(&key).unwrap_or(0);
+    env.storage().persistent().set(&key, &(count + 1));
     env.storage().persistent().extend_ttl(
         &key,
         PERSISTENT_LIFETIME_THRESHOLD,
@@ -194,9 +190,9 @@ pub fn add_campaign_applicant(env: &Env, campaign_id: CampaignId, creator: &Addr
 
 /// Return whether any creator has applied to `campaign_id`.
 pub fn has_campaign_applicants(env: &Env, campaign_id: CampaignId) -> bool {
-    let applicants: Option<Vec<Address>> = env
+    let count: Option<u32> = env
         .storage()
         .persistent()
-        .get(&DataKey::CampaignApplicants(campaign_id));
-    applicants.is_some_and(|v| !v.is_empty())
+        .get(&DataKey::ApplicantCount(campaign_id));
+    count.is_some_and(|c| c > 0)
 }
diff --git a/contracts/campaign-escrow/src/test.rs b/contracts/campaign-escrow/src/test.rs
index a510498..af5656f 100644
--- a/contracts/campaign-escrow/src/test.rs
+++ b/contracts/campaign-escrow/src/test.rs
@@ -1142,6 +1142,50 @@ mod test_update_metadata {
         );
         assert_eq!(result, Err(Ok(Error::InvalidStatus)));
     }
+
+    /// Applying to a campaign must stay O(1) in storage-write cost
+    /// regardless of how many creators already applied — the applicant
+    /// tracking is a counter, not a growing list. Apply with a large number
+    /// of prior applicants, then confirm the write cost of a later apply is
+    /// no larger than an early one, and that the lock-after-first-apply
+    /// behavior from `applications_exist_blocks_metadata_update` still holds.
+    #[test]
+    fn applying_with_many_prior_applicants_does_not_regress_write_cost() {
+        let (env, contract_id) = setup_env();
+        let (client, _admin, _dispute, business, token) = bootstrap(&env, &contract_id, 50);
+
+        // max_creators is a cap on approved creators, not applicants, so a
+        // low cap here doesn't limit how many creators can apply.
+        let id = create_funded_campaign(&env, &client, &business, &token, 10_000_000, 1);
+
+        let first_creator = Address::generate(&env);
+        client.apply_to_campaign(&first_creator, &id, &String::from_str(&env, "pitch"));
+        let first_apply_write_bytes = env.cost_estimate().resources().write_bytes;
+
+        // A large number of additional creators apply to the same campaign.
+        const N: u32 = 200;
+        for _ in 0..N {
+            let creator = Address::generate(&env);
+            client.apply_to_campaign(&creator, &id, &String::from_str(&env, "pitch"));
+        }
+
+        let last_creator = Address::generate(&env);
+        client.apply_to_campaign(&last_creator, &id, &String::from_str(&env, "pitch"));
+        let last_apply_write_bytes = env.cost_estimate().resources().write_bytes;
+
+        // The write cost of applying must not grow with the number of prior
+        // applicants — an ever-growing Vec would regress this.
+        assert_eq!(first_apply_write_bytes, last_apply_write_bytes);
+
+        // The brief is still locked once any creator has applied, exactly
+        // as in `applications_exist_blocks_metadata_update`.
+        let result = client.try_update_campaign_metadata(
+            &id,
+            &business,
+            &String::from_str(&env, "ipfs://updated-brief"),
+        );
+        assert_eq!(result, Err(Ok(Error::ApplicationsExist)));
+    }
 }
 
 mod test_resolve_dispute {