American Baby Magazine Cover Contest FAQs

Welcome to the American Baby Cover Model Contest Frequently Asked Questions. If you don't see your question answered below, please e-mail abcontest@meredith.com.

How do I enter?
From the American Baby Cover Contest category located here, click "Upload Your Album" or "Upload Photos." Fill out the entry form by uploading your photos, submitting into the American Baby Cover Contest category, and completing the Photo Contest Information section. If you follow the Official Rules, your photos will be entered in the contest.

Read the Official Rules. >>

How is the winner chosen?
The American Baby magazine judges will review all of the entries and choose 10 semi-finalists. Semi-finalists will be selected based on the criteria set forth in the Official Rules. Semi-finalists will be asked to provide more pictures for consideration, and then five finalists will be selected to fly to New York City for a professional photo shoot from 2/15/2011-2/17/2011. One photo will be selected for the May 2011 cover.

How will the photos be judged?
As it says in the Official Rules, judging will be "based on overall appearance of the child as shown in the photo(s), personality of child as expressed through the photo(s), and quality of photo(s)."

Will the judges really look at all entries?
Yes, they really are looking at all entries.

Can I enter my twins together?
Twins must be entered separately. Although they may look alike, a set of twins can have totally different temperaments and have a different presence in front of the camera.

Can I enter a professional photograph?
Photos must be taken by entrant, non-professional, unpublished and may not have won any prize or award.

Do the ratings and recommendations play any part in deciding the winner?
No, they do not.

Why won't my photo upload?
First, check that your photo is the right size and file type (photos must be .jpg or .bmp and under 3 MB). During periods of heavy traffic, some users may experience very slow load times or not be able to upload their photo at all. In this case, it's best to wait a few hours and then come back and try again.

I can't find my photo! Help!
To find your photo, go back to the Parents.com photo area (www.parents.com/photos) and click the View My Photos button at the top right to see all of your galleries.

Click on the thumbnail to see your gallery, or click "Tell a friend" to e-mail friends and family a direct link to your gallery (see screen shot below).

If my child is chosen as a finalist, can the rest of my family join us in New York City, provided we pay for their expenses?
Yes, but American Baby magazine/Meredith Corp. will only pay for one child and one guardian.

I uploaded my picture but it won't fit in the thumbnail and it won't shrink.
The shrink feature is to allow you to shrink your photo back to original size once you've grown it. You cannot shrink the thumbnail photo to be smaller than the original that was uploaded. If you want more of your photo to show in the thumbnail view, you'll need to resize in a photo editing tool.

I select the photo I want to upload on my computer. The thumbnail box is empty and my picture never displays.
Most likely you have a photo that is too large. Try resizing the photo using a photo editing tool and resubmit.

What if I missed the entry period?
We always have a fun photo contest on the site. Check out our photo contests here.

How do I add more to an album that I submitted to the contest?
Go to www.parents.com/photos Click on the View My Photos button in the top right header. Log in. You will see a listing of your galleries that you've uploaded. Click Edit underneath the album you wish to add/edit photos. You will enter your album and have the ability to enter more photos or change photos. Be sure to click the Submit Album button so your changes will take place.

How do I delete my entry?
To delete an entry, log back into the account in question, go back to the Parents.com photo area (parents.com/photos) and click on "View My Photos" in the top right. This will take you to a page with all of your albums displayed, and each has the option to delete.

How does the Reader's Choice portion of the contest work?
There will be nine weekly Reader's Choice winners. During the voting periods, entries will be displayed in the Parents Photo Faves gallery, and visitors to the site will be invited to vote for their favorite entries based on overall appearance of the child as shown in the photo(s), adherence to theme as expressed through the photo(s), and quality of photo(s). The Reader's Choice winners will have no bearing on the five finalists going to the official cover contest photo shoot. Each official weekly winner will win $250 cash.

See Full Rules >>
Enter Your Kid >>
Browse through all Entries >>

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Comments

Comments (47)

raahi wrote:

i uploaded more than one album in the contest cuz i didnt know.. what should i do now?

5/25/2011 07:15:44 AM Report Abuse

victoria158 wrote:

after doing everything that was said to do I'm still having problems uploading my sons picture can someone please help me?? my e-mail is victoria@hamilton.net or can I send his picture through snail mail and not e-mail. That would be easier. I just need a address. Thanks so much. This is giving me a headache.

11/17/2010 03:07:25 PM Report Abuse

Sitebinder wrote:

how do you vote for a baby entered in the contest?

11/7/2010 09:03:07 PM Report Abuse

raquelellis1 wrote:

What happens if you entered your child by sending a picture through mail?? I never heard any response back...!!!

7/12/2010 02:41:21 AM Report Abuse

brittany8 wrote:

The contest was suppose to end on the 5-9 but i dont know what the end result was

5/10/2010 02:17:18 PM Report Abuse

heatherarnts1 wrote:

Has there been any news? I assume finalists must have been chosen by now.

4/30/2010 04:13:21 PM Report Abuse

KellyMB wrote:

Haven't heard anything. I even sent an e-mail to them last week but didn't get a response. I wish they would let us know something!!!!

4/27/2010 05:32:56 PM Report Abuse

fish_mom wrote:

Has anyone heard about the winners yet? Did anyone find out if they were going to post them?

4/27/2010 10:15:18 AM Report Abuse

bethallen4 wrote:

I agree Kelly...When they say "on or about April 20th" I am not sure how long that window is. But it would really be nice to see the semi-finalists, or at least to know that they have been picked and notified.

4/23/2010 10:47:44 AM Report Abuse

KellyMB wrote:

What was the point of voting for the photo faves weekly winner? Was it just for fun or is it supposed to help the winner in some sort of way? Just curious because my daughter won one week. I really hope they post the semi-finalists so everyone can see who they picked.

4/22/2010 02:05:30 PM Report Abuse

smarilliberg wrote:

When they choose the 10 semi-finalists, will they be visible on the site? So we can see who moved to the next level?

4/22/2010 11:57:49 AM Report Abuse

topknot13 wrote:

Hey, has anyone heard back? Do they only notify the semifinalists, or do they notify all entrants?

4/20/2010 08:46:06 PM Report Abuse

descobb wrote:

Sounds like I wasn't the only one ... I uploaded pictures of our daughter more than once and now there no where to be found.

4/1/2010 11:30:28 PM Report Abuse

jomarie71 wrote:

What is the deal with this website?!! I have entered the same 6 photos for the contest twice (hoping that doesn't disqualify me)and it's been over 24 hours, but I can't find them. I have typed in all the keywords I used, my baby's name, titles of the pics and can't find them. Plus, trying to get help on here is ridiculous! Aside from having to look through all 42,000 plus entries, can anyone tell me what to do? Thanks in advance.

4/1/2010 06:01:43 PM Report Abuse

danorweegie wrote:

anyone happen to know (roughly) what the taxes run on this thing int he end? it says that they will give a 1099 to the winner to tak care of.... just curious if anyone knew...

3/31/2010 08:21:56 PM Report Abuse

olunde2 wrote:

Your child will only show up using the search field if you added photo tags. So when arranging your photos, be sure to add something like: Mike, Michael, Michael James, smiling, fun, beach

3/31/2010 09:13:51 AM Report Abuse

olunde2 wrote:

angelaslittleat: did you check the size of your photos? Are they over 3mb? It won't work if they are. But if it's problems with a ma, why don't you save your photos and go to a local library to use their windows based computers?

3/31/2010 09:11:33 AM Report Abuse

angelaslittleat wrote:

I have a Mac and did everything right, and my pictures didn't show up in an album. I feel cheated. I didn't get a fair chance to enter my child, because of the problems with the site. I tried for 2 weeks straight and even connected to a fast wireless connection.

3/30/2010 05:04:19 PM Report Abuse

aarthi.aar1 wrote:

how do i send the link for people to vote?

3/30/2010 10:16:56 AM Report Abuse

aarthi.aar1 wrote:

how do i send the link for people to vote?

3/30/2010 10:14:56 AM Report Abuse

danielle_galer wrote:

how do i send the link for people to vote?

3/29/2010 05:03:45 PM Report Abuse

jodipt35 wrote:

hmmmm, i am having all the same problems! sounds like their website isn't working properly. i also find it interesting that i'm give a "chance" to sign up for a newsletter every time i try......

3/29/2010 02:19:12 PM Report Abuse

angeleyes42033 wrote:

figured it out...finally...

3/29/2010 01:28:52 PM Report Abuse

angeleyes42033 wrote:

I have spent over an hour trying to figure out how to ADD more photo's and nothing. Am very frustrated over this. How is other's able to ADD more photo's but there is no button saying to add more photo's to Album before hitting the SUBMIT album button...HELP!!

3/29/2010 01:08:10 PM Report Abuse

nikitafl1 wrote:

I can't find my son photos, when I serch in "American Babies..." contest, I umploded too many times for about 15 day and nothing happens, please I wanna see my soon in this contest ^_^

3/29/2010 11:34:39 AM Report Abuse

jotse wrote:

I am not able to load more photos. I can edit and add but once I get to the "add photo to album", the page doesn't go anywhere and the new image doesn't get updated. Any ideas? Should i delete and start over?

3/29/2010 11:03:59 AM Report Abuse

ruthannderek wrote:

I emailed sharemy@meredith last week with not even a recognition of my email and that someone will be in touch. I uploaded my sons photo to the american baby cover contest 2010 at least 10 times. I go through all the steps, upload, label, choose contest, read rules provide phone#, click the appropriate boxes.. once I get to the final step I click the submit button then it takes me back to the beginning asking me if I want to upload photos. I am running out of time to enter him.please help

3/28/2010 12:42:51 PM Report Abuse

dolljoon wrote:

I see one of my kids album, but not the other? I do I search for my daughter's album?

3/22/2010 02:55:56 PM Report Abuse

la_harvin1 wrote:

how do you vote?

3/22/2010 10:12:14 AM Report Abuse

robyndelorenzo wrote:

I uploaded my photos but if i search for my daughter in the contest, she doesn't come up.

3/17/2010 12:57:55 PM Report Abuse

suzannebachman wrote:

Do the judges just look at the first picture in an album, or all of them? I want to know if we should put the best one first! :)

3/10/2010 09:02:34 PM Report Abuse

jamiebailey01 wrote:

sorry also it does not show that i have entered in any recent contests, how do i know that it was entered?

3/10/2010 12:51:23 PM Report Abuse

jamiebailey01 wrote:

I have uploaded the photos but when I look in the vote area, my daughters pics are not on there?? Anyone know why?

3/10/2010 12:50:24 PM Report Abuse

ParentsCMKathy wrote:

While voting for the entries doesn't have an impact on who wins the contest, it's still fun to show support for those entries we like, thus the opportunity to "vote." To vote for an entry simply click on "I like this" (to the right of the picture). To see how many people have voted for your picture, look to the right of "I like this" where you'll see the number in parenthesis. If you have a question that is not answered in the FAQ, please e-mail abcontest@meredith.com.

3/9/2010 12:17:11 PM Report Abuse

mimelody808 wrote:

How will the winners be notifieed

3/7/2010 12:03:12 PM Report Abuse

bfific wrote:

I am not able to open the link to register? www. americanbaby.com/covercontest Help!!

3/6/2010 12:40:56 PM Report Abuse

maraia01 wrote:

Why ere you asking us to vote if it doesnt matter???? And also everybody who try to vote for my son haveit doesn't let them.Your contest it doesn't work!

3/3/2010 10:00:18 AM Report Abuse

kan4o wrote:

Why they are asking us to vote then????

3/3/2010 09:49:01 AM Report Abuse

I_E_Quinones wrote:

Can you enter contest if your a resident of New York?

2/25/2010 01:50:22 PM Report Abuse

stephaniematteo wrote:

If you read through the rules and FAQs, it says that while people are able to vote, it does not effect who will win. Winners are chosen solely by the judges.

2/24/2010 01:37:14 PM Report Abuse

ilovemysmokiekitty wrote:

How and when will they tell us if our little one won??

2/23/2010 10:21:04 PM Report Abuse

Andrea199 wrote:

How do you see your votes? People have been voting on my son's picture and cannot see tally anywhere. Please direct us.

2/23/2010 03:44:55 PM Report Abuse

LoganMommy wrote:

How exactly do people vote? do they just leave a comment and then say they like it, or should it be a VOTE button? Its a bit confusing

2/23/2010 02:04:47 PM Report Abuse

Brandonleaf wrote:

I cant vote