You've probably looked at your baby once, maybe every single day, and thought, "Wow, you're so cute; you're like a Gerber Baby." Well … now's your chance to take "like" out of that sentence.
The baby product company wants your little one to be its next Gerber Baby, and for the first time, other parents who have probably thought that same thing and decided to act on it will help decide who gets the title.
Gerber announced Tuesday that it officially opened the call for entries for its 2024 Gerber Photo Search, and its selection committee will now include families of Gerber Babies crowned from 2017 until last year.
Those parents, alongside a committee of Gerber employees, will be tasked with reviewing each submission to ultimately decide who will be the 2024 Gerber Baby who goes home with a grand prize. That includes $25,000 cash, the opportunity to serve as "Chief Growing Officer," features on Gerber's social media and marketing campaigns, a new Gerber Childrenswear wardrobe, a year's supply of Gerber products and a slew of other brands' prizes.
But even if your baby isn't the chosen one, they might be among the almost-chosen 10. Gerber said to "celebrate more babies than ever before," it'll offer prizes to 10 runner-up babies "whose submissions showcase the adorable, silly, and unique moments in their lives." They'll get $500 Gerber gift cards, clothing from Gerber Childrenswear and prizes from the company's partners.
"This year's Photo Search gives parents a platform to applaud every one of baby's moments, from big milestones to everyday joys," said Angela Madlangbayan, Gerber's vice president of marketing, in a press release. "We are excited to find and celebrate not only our next Gerber Baby but also more little ones and their families to further our goal of supporting parents and caregivers who are nurturing the next generation."
Parents or legal guardians have until May 24 to submit a photo of their baby, who can be 0 to 4 years old, at photosearch.gerber.com. But if you're scrolling through your camera roll for that perfect application photo, make sure it includes an "inchstone" moment, which Gerber describes as the "sweet, small moments that make a baby's first years extra special." These will qualify your baby for the runner-up positions.
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Meet Maddie Mendoza, the 2023 Gerber Baby
Last year, the special "inchstone" that caught the judges' eye was that of Maddie Mendoza, whose winning submission included a throwback photo of her mom at a similar age with a similar hairdo.
"Experiencing this past year with Maddie as the 2023 Gerber Baby has been such a joyful time for our entire family, creating memories that we can hold on to for a lifetime," said Crystal Mendoza, Maddie's mom. "Having gone through Photo Search ourselves, we can't wait to bring our experience to the selection process and ultimately pass on this magical opportunity to another deserving family."
This is the 14th year Gerber has run a Photo Search intending to continue the legacy of the original Gerber Baby, Ann Turner Cook.
Cook became the face of the company in 1928 when artist Dorothy Hope Smith — Cook's neighbor — sketched the image we all know to appear on a Gerber baby food campaign. Its popularity prompted the brand to officially trademark the sketch in 1931, and Cook has been on all its packaging and advertisements since.
But in 2011, inspired by the "countless" parents who sent in photos of their children who resembled Cook's image, Gerber decided to search for a "spokesbaby." That led them to Mercy, a then-2-year-old girl from Toledo, Ohio, and the first annual winner of the Gerber Baby Photo Search.
Since then, there have been multiple other milestones: In 2014, twin boys from Pennsylvania became the only twins to win the title. Lucas from Georgia became the first Gerber Baby with Down syndrome in 2018. The 2019 winner Kairi from North Carolina was the first spokesbaby of Hmong descent. Magnolia from California was the first adopted winner in 2020. And in 2022, Isa from Oklahoma was the first spokesbaby to have a limb difference.
