How to Win the Gerber Baby Contest

What Is the Gerber Baby Contest?

Before 2010, the execs at Gerber hadn't decided to hold a contest to find the "cutest baby" since 1928. That was, of course, when its contest was won by an unfinished drawing of the baby that has now come to be known as "the Gerber Baby."

In 2010, Gerber decided it would announce a new contest to find the company's "spokesbaby" for the following year. The turnout was so large and impressive — about 217,000 submissions — in 2010, that the company decided to do it again the next year. Since then, it has grown and grown into a hugely publicized baby photo contest with substantial cash prizes and other winnable tokens.

The grand prize started as a $25,000 scholarship for the baby who won the contest, and it has grown into a $50,000 cash prize, including some $15,000 to cover taxes and thousands of dollars to be used on Gerber merchandise. In addition, there are other prizes for the runners-up, including smaller cash awards and smaller amounts to be spent at Gerber stores.

How Can You Enter The Gerber Baby Contest?

We don't blame you for wanting to join the thousands of moms and dads who have had their smartphones and cameras practically glued to their palms in hopes of capturing their child in a priceless, Gerber baby moment. Get out there and show the world that your baby is the cutest of them all, but just be aware of a few of the contest's key details:

• If you have your baby photographed professionally, Gerber considers this a violation of the spirit of the contest, and it won't judge your submission, no matter how adorable your little guy or girl is in the photo.

• Your baby can only be the official spokesbaby for the Gerber company if he or she is between 1 day and 48 months old.

• For the first few years, the grand prize included a tax-free sum of money to be used specifically on your little one's education, but for the last few years it's been changed to a larger sum, with tax covered, paid out in cash to be used on anything you can imagine for your child.

Last year's Gerber Baby Contest yielded an impossibly cute Gerber spokesbaby — though we're not sure why it calls her a "spokesbaby." She probably can't speak — so the bar is pretty high. Are you getting those dollar signs in your eyes? You're probably not alone there. If you feel your heart racing at the thought of your baby winning the grand prize this year, dial it back. The company hasn't announced details on this year's contest yet, so you may want to enter an alternative contest to start — more on this in a bit.

Why Should You Enter Your Baby in the Gerber Contest?

You're probably already chomping at the bit for an excuse to dress your little one up in their cutest outfits and start snapping pics, but here are a few good reasons to do it:

• A Huge Cash Prize: Think of all the things you could buy and the ways you could spoil your baby with $50,000. Taxes are covered, so this grand prize is especially grand.

• Publicity for Your Baby: Your baby will be used in the marketing communications for a brand that has been nationally recognized for almost an entire century. If that's not exciting enough, you'll get to see your cutie's face on some products and maybe even on TV!

• You Get to Practice Taking Photos of Your Child: When there's a reason to do it, you don't need any other excuse to take a bunch of pictures of your baby. At best, you'll win the grand prize; at worst, you'll have tons of high quality pictures to remember that cute baby stage for a lifetime.

• You Can Win Bragging Rights: Wait until the other members of your Mommy and Me class find out that your kid won the official Gerber Baby sweepstakes. Imagine how you could hold your head high knowing that you'd be the only parent around with proof of their claim that "my baby is the cutest on the block." More like the cutest in the country!

• It's Free: What's the worst that can happen? Maybe you waste some time, but may I remind you: time spent bonding with your baby can almost never be time wasted. You don't need to hire a professional photographer — in fact, you're not allowed to do so — or buy an expensive camera. Your photos are judged almost entirely on the pure cuteness of your kid.

No baby photo contest is better known than the Gerber Baby Contest. There's no better time to get in on the action than now.

Why Should You Pick a Different Contest?

Of course, with any endeavor, there's going to be some drawbacks. Here are some of the reasons why you might want to opt for an alternative to the Gerber Baby Photo Contest:

• Too Many Applicants: Like most parents, you're probably worrying that when that many people enter a contest, will they really notice how cute your kid is? The judges probably look at hundreds of thousands of photos, and sometimes you have to make a decision concerning whether or not you think it's worth it.

• Too Many Rules: We don't think the guidelines should stop you from applying, but maybe you're not one for reading, and there ARE a bunch of stipulations.

• You're Not in the United States: Sadly, for parents overseas who know that their kid is just as cute as any American baby, Gerber doesn't accept submissions from outside the U.S. Don't be sad, though! There are other contests that don't have these geographical restrictions.

• Your Kid Is Too Old: Sadly, your baby will only stay below 2 years old for, I don't know, two-ish years. It's worth noting that Gerber's cute baby search does have what it calls "milestone" categories for older kids, but once your baby turns 2, they are no longer qualified for the grand prize.

If you don't feel like the Gerber Baby contest is right for you, or you need something else to enter between submission periods for the Gerber contest, you can see how your little one stacks up in the Cute Kid Contest!

What Is the Cute Kid Contest?

Ah, see, I've piqued your interest. The Cute Kid Contest has existed since before the Gerber Baby Contest started up again in 2010, and it has been one of the more widely known baby photo contests for years now.

It's also more comprehensive than other contests, including Gerber's. The Cute Kid Contest has monthly winners, a wide variety of prizes, as well as different age groups and even a public voting pool.

How Does It Work?

You can go online to thecutekid.com and select one of the many contests. Choose the age group that fits your little one, and submit their most adorable photos.

The pictures in the contest are judged by professional photographers and child casting agents, based on a number of criteria, including charisma, appearance and what that they call "that special something." If you think your kid has that WOW factor, this is the perfect contest for you to put that theory to the ultimate test.

Winners are chosen from each age group, and winnings range from $25,000 scholarship endowments to amazing trips and other prizes.

What Are the Rules?

For one, the Cute Kid Contest is far less restrictive than Gerber, so even when you've exhausted all your options in the official Gerber Baby Contest, you still have choices. Here are some of the most important rules surrounding the Cute Kid Contest:

• The contest has no rules about submitting professional photographs of your baby, like Gerber does. With that said, the contest website makes it clear that it prefers you take your pictures yourselves; candid shots of kids almost always end up cuter than when they're professionally staged.

• The contest submission dates are also very loose. You have the entire calendar month to submit your cute pictures for them to be eligible for judgement at the end of the month.

• The age categories consist of: 0-1 year old - Baby, 1-2 years old - Toddler, 2-4 years old - Preschool, 4-8 years old - Big Kid, and 8-12 years old - Preteen. These are great because they give your kid a chance to compete against other kids in his or her age group for bragging rights and cuteness supremacy.

• The People's Choice category gives the community a chance to compare their kid to everyone else's and vote on the cutest around.

In the end, the Cute Kid contest runs year round, so there's always a chance to win if you keep on submitting your child's cutest photos. Just think of all of the possibilities!

Why Should I Enter the Cute Kid Contest?

Here are a few reasons why you should enter your kid's cutest shots in the Cute Kid Contest, even if you've set your sights on the Gerber Baby Contest as well:

• Fewer Contestants: With monthly contests in all the different age groups, you have a better chance to impress the judges with your child's utterly dazzling cuteness.

• Frequent Prizes: The Cute Kid Contest has a monthly first prize payout of $500 to the winner of each category and an overall monthly winning prize of $1,000. The winner of the top annual prize receives a whopping $25,000 college scholarship for their future, as well as a personalized website devoted just to them and a trip to New York City.

• Bragging Rights (again): Look, we're not saying you should brag about your kid too much, but if he or she wins the Cute Kid Contest, you deserve to go a little crazy for a while, right? Don't worry, we know you're just proud of your little winner.

• The Chance for Your Kid to Become Famous: This is, in our opinion, the best part. While the chance to become the Gerber Baby is great, the Cute Kid Contest is judged by children's casting directors and agents who represent child stars all over the globe, and they're always scouting for new talent. Former Cute Kid Contest winners have gone on to feature in ads for Huggies, Pampers, Disney and on the glossy pages of Parents magazine.

Ah, just imagine the possibilities involved. I know it's tantalizing to think about, but first you have to, you know, actually win.

Ok, I Hear You, How Can I Win?

Here's a step-by-step guide to taking home the prize. Everyone thinks their kid is cute, but now is the time to show those judges what your baby has that no one else's does.

Step 1: Make sure you have a baby handy. This part will be tough if your kid is too old to enter any of the age groups, so don't get overly eager if you don't have an eligible baby, toddler or youth.

Step 2: Get your camera out. Again, it's difficult to capture your kid's cuteness without a camera. Of course, you can go the route of the original Gerber winner and draw your baby, but don't quote us on that.

Step 3: Stop, snap and submit. When your kid is doing what they do best, take cute photos and post them on thecutekid.com.

It's literally just as simple as that. Easy as 1-2-3.

But What If I Can't Take Cute Photos?

Of course you can. Your kid is cute, right? Right. If you're unsure about the best way to do it, here are some tips to make sure you're standing by and ready to permanently capture every single cute thing your little tyke does.

Let Your Baby Make the Schedule

It can be hard to work around nap times, meal times and the like, but no one knows better than you when your baby or young child is in the best mood to be photographed. Whether your little cutie is most playful after a nap, before a meal or somewhere in between, you need to be there at that optimum time.

Glue That Camera to Your Hand

Whether you're planning on creating your winning work with a high-quality camera lens, or just the surprisingly good camera that comes with most smartphones these days, make sure it's always within reach. You don't want to miss that big moment when your baby throws on that dazzling smile and bats those eyelashes, right?

Get Down Low

Get ready for that dreaded knee pain. The best pictures of your kid are going to come when you're near their level, for a couple reasons. One is that when you're close, your kid is going to be in a more photograph-worthy state, because of his or her loved one's proximity. The second is that you can really get in close if you're at their level.

The Scene Counts, But Keep It Natural

If you feel like you don't want to wait for your baby to do something cute, you can stage it. For the Gerber Baby Contest and the Cute Kid Contest, the situation matters, at least a little so don't disregard it completely, but be warned: If the judges feel like your pictures look a little too "cookie cutter" and professional, they may not like it as much.

Keep Your Home Photo-Worthy

The background counts also, so make sure that you don't ruin a perfectly cute photo by staging it in a messy room.

Take Lots and Lots of Photos

This part is the most important; if you take one cute shot and call it a day, it's unlikely that your kid is going to be the next Gerber Baby or Cute Kid winner. You can't judge a picture from a phone screen or camera screen very well, so take tons of photos, upload them to your computer and have a wide variety from which to choose.

Remember, anyone can take cute photos of their baby: just work with what you have right in front of you.

Good Luck!

With any baby photo contest, review the rules, set the scene and get shooting. Stay posted for details about this year's Gerber Baby Contest and updates about other cute baby competitions around the world.

Whether you decide to enter your baby's cutest photos in the Gerber contest, or opt for the Cute Kid Contest, or both, you're going to be able to spend a lot of quality time with your baby in the process. have fun with it! Remember, one day it'll seem like they grew up in a single instant.