Entering Cute Baby Photo Contests

If you love to share your favorite baby pictures, you may be wondering if you should start entering cute baby photo contests. These contests are very competitive, but they do provide a nice opportunity to get exposure for your work as well as cash prizes and other gifts.

Baby photo contests generally fall into one of two types: contests where you are judged on the baby's appearance and contests where you are judged based on the skill of the person who took the photograph.

If you're looking for contests to enter, it's helpful to first spend some time thinking about what you hope to accomplish. If you want your baby to participate in modeling gigs, a contest that offers a chance to meet with a talent scout as one of the prizes is a good choice. If you want feedback on your photography skills, however, you're better off looking for contests that are judged by professional photographers and also have categories for subjects other than cute baby pictures.

Some of the many different baby photo contests available online include:

• Parents.com has a number of different free child photo contests they sponsor, including opportunities to see your baby featured on the cover of the magazine.
• The Cute Kid is a popular baby photo contest, but it is marketed to parents who want to see their child get noticed by talent scouts and modeling agents.
• Baby Zone sponsors contests for photos of babies, toddlers, preschoolers, and children.
• Kodak's Moment of the Month contest isn't focused exclusively on baby photos, but some of your baby pictures may fit the theme of the contest for a particular month.
• Contests for Moms is a directory listing of several different online baby photo contests.
• Proof Positive is a directory of photography contests from around the Web that includes a few opportunities for entering baby pictures.

If you're interested in entering baby photo contests, you must first read the judging criteria carefully. Each contest is looking for a specific type of photo. There may be rules regarding the age of the baby that is featured in the photo as well as whether or not you are allowed to use software, such as Adobe Photoshop Elements, to edit your work.

What type of photo should you enter? Aside from what is specified in the rules, keep in mind that good photos meet the following criteria:

• No distracting background
• The focus is clearly on your baby
• Lighting is flattering
• Composition is attractive
• The photo "tells a story" just by looking at it

When choosing which pictures to enter into a cute baby photo contest, make an effort to step back from your role as a parent. Obviously, you think every photo of your angel is absolutely adorable. However, the contest judges won't have any sentimental attachment to a particular shot. Try to get opinions from people who can be more objective, such as your coworker who also happens to be a talented amateur photographer.

If you don't win a particular contest, don't get discouraged. Many contests receive thousands of entries and failing to win a prize doesn't necessarily reflect poorly on your adorable baby or your skills as a photographer. Keeping snapping away!