I’m so excited to announce the winner!  There were a ton of cute kids and lots of votes, but ultimately Miles won.  The winner has one week to contact me and claim their prize, otherwise it will go to the adorable child in second place.

I wish everyone could have won, so as a consolation I want to extend a special offer to every contestant:  If you book a session with me by June 30, 2010 (doesn’t have to take place before then, just schedule it) I will give you HALF of your session fee as a print credit (essentially giving you a $75 session fee and $75 towards anything I sell).

Thank you to everyone involved!  Whether you entered, voted, or both, this was a huge success and it would not have been so without you.  The great interest in this contest has encouraged me to do this again next year.  Keep checking back for specials and tips and enter again next May!

Amazingly, there was an almost equal number of girls and boys that entered the contest (one more boy entered at the last minute)!  All of them are incredibly cute and I was impressed with the creativity of some, so I am very relieved that I will not be the one deciding who wins.  There are 29 kids (ranging from gestating to 14 years old) for you to choose from and you get ONE vote, so choose carefully!

In some cases, siblings are listed on the same picture but will have separate voting choices.  These pictures are all exactly as I received them, but I did resize them and sharpen them a little for your viewing pleasure.

Just as a reminder, here are the official rules from the original post:

• all photos emailed to me will be uploaded to a blog post with an attached poll
• each person may vote exactly once (although family and friends are very much encouraged to come vote!) and if I notice any duplicate votes, those votes will be discounted; I reserve the right to disqualify the contestant if this seems to be a repeated problem
• voting will be open from Monday, 5/24 until Monday, 5/31 and the winner will be announced on Tuesday, June 1, 2010
• the photo with the most votes will be the winner

And don’t forget how to get more votes counted toward your favorite kid!

• If you tweet about this contest with a link to this post and include a comment (on the voting post with the contestant number for your favorite child) then that child will have one extra vote added.  Only one tweet per voter please (you must have your twitter account set to public so I can verify the tweet).
• Post this in your Facebook status and follow the same rules as the twitter entry and you will also receive one extra vote (please note that you must have that post set for public viewing as I must be able to verify it in order for it to be counted; you can do this by clicking on the little padlock next to the “share” button under the area where you enter your status and then selecting “everyone”).
• “Like” me on Facebook and receive one extra vote; just come back here and comment on this post.
• Blog about this, include a link, etc. (see above), come back and leave a comment, and you will receive three extra votes!

These extra votes will only be counted if the comments are on THIS post.  Comments on the original post detailing the contest rules will not be counted towards voting.  You must also state WHICH CHILD you want your extra votes to go to.

Families, send a link to this post to your friends, families, coworkers, mailmen, baristas, and whoever else you can convince to vote for you.

And without further ado…

Let the voting begin!

Looking for the 2011 Cutest Kid Contest?  Click here!

So how do you get in on this sweet, sweet contest action?  Well, I’ll tell ya!  It’s pretty simple.  You just need to email me a photo of your sweet and adorable offspring and include their age and name and what city you live in (this won’t be public; it is just because I like to know these things) in order to qualify.  Read on for the official stuff.

The Rules

• only parents or legal guardians may enter their child (aunts, uncles, grandparents, and well-meaning friends, please send the parents a link)
• one photo per child
• in order to give everyone an equal opportunity please do not send me any professional pictures (plus, this eliminates the whole needing a release thing) and you absolutely must have the legal right to enter this photo (either you took it or the person that did gave you permission)
• photo must have been taken in the last 6 months
• child must be 17 or younger at the time of entry
• contest open to everyone, but if you live outside of a 10 mile radius from Seattle, WA or a 20 mile radius of Lake Jackson, TX you must choose a location within 10 miles of Seattle, WA or 20 miles of Lake Jackson, TX for your prize shoot, or a travel fee will be charged of 85 cents per mile, each direction (please note that if you are in Texas and you win your session availability will be determined by my already scheduled travel times)
• entries will be accepted until midnight (Pacific time) on Sunday, 5/23/2010

Judging

• all photos emailed to me will be uploaded to a blog post with an attached poll
• each person may vote exactly once (although family and friends are very much encouraged to come vote!) and if I notice any duplicate votes, those votes will be discounted; I reserve the right to disqualify the contestant if this seems to be a repeated problem
• voting will be open from Monday, 5/24 until Monday, 5/31 and the winner will be announced on Tuesday, June 1, 2010
• the photo with the most votes will be the winner

The Loot

• the parent or legal guardian of the child in the photo that receives the most votes will win a FREE photo session (for up to 4 people, additional people incur a $25 fe per person) with Hope and Memory Photography, 1 8×10 photo, 1 5×7 photo, 1 set of 8 wallets, and 3 digital images, watermarked and resized for viewing on the internet (facebook, blogs, email, digital frames etc – not to be printed, reproduced, or altered in any way)
• photo session must be booked within 30 days of winning, and completed before September 30, 2010
• prize retail value of $350 – can not be altered or changed in any way, and not redeemable for cash and is nontrasferable
• additional prints will be available for purchase at retail prices
• no additional promotions on discounts can be applied

How can I get more entries?

• If you tweet about this contest with a link to this post and include a comment (on the voting post with the contestant number for your favorite child) then that child will have one extra vote added.  Only one tweet per voter please.
• Post this in your Facebook status and follow the same rules as the twitter entry and you will also receive one extra vote.
• “Like” me on Facebook and receive one extra vote; just come back and comment on the voting post when it is time to vote.
• Blog about this, include a link, etc. (see above) and you will receive three extra votes!

Please post a comment with any questions you may have and I will answer them.  Good luck!  Now show me some awesome kids!