The Good Housekeeping Baby of the Year contest is a well-known competition that draws in many proud parents eager to show off their little ones. On the surface, it looks like a great opportunity, especially with the promise of big prizes and national recognition.
However, after taking a closer look, I have mixed feelings about it. While the contest itself is legitimate, the way it is set up makes me concerned. One of the biggest setbacks and also a red flag for me is the voting system, which tends to prioritize popularity and encourages people to spend money to get votes. This can turn what seems like a fun, friendly competition into a pay-to-win scenario, leaving many families feeling disadvantaged.
What Is The Good Housekeeping Baby Of The Year Contest All About!
The Good Housekeeping Baby of the Year contest is an annual competition where parents or guardians submit photos of their babies to compete for the title of “Baby of the Year.” It’s a promotional event run by Good Housekeeping magazine, aiming to find the cutest and most charming babies across the country. It generates a whole lot of excitement, as the contest provides an opportunity for national exposure and cash prize of $25,000 for the winners.
Parents or legal guardians submit photos of their baby (typically under 3 years old) through the contest website.
What I Discovered About The Good Housekeeping Baby Of The Year Contest
When I received a notification about contesting for the Good Housekeeping Baby Of The Year Contest, I was a little bit skeptical and decided to make some findings as a ”helicopter parent” that I am. I found out some things:
- The website running this contest, ‘babyoftheyear.org’ was recently created in March 2024and it also expires in March 2025. This made me suspicious.
- The Baby Of The Year Contest is hosted by Colossal Management LLC, a company that always host commercial fundraisers.
- It claims to have been endorsed by Jessica Alba.
Is The Good Housekeeping Baby Of The Year Contest Scam?
The Good Housekeeping Baby of the Year Contest is not a scam, but there are aspects of it that might make people feel uneasy. It’s a legitimate competition run by Good Housekeeping, Magazine. However, like many contests that involve public voting, some participants might question its fairness due to the heavy emphasis on getting votes—often through paid methods or extensive social media campaigning.
To paraphrase Mark Twain, “It’s not the votes that count, it’s who counts the votes,” and while the contest isn’t rigged, the voting system can give an edge to those who invest more time, energy, and sometimes money into getting votes. This can make it feel more like a popularity contest.
What I Think Of The Good Housekeeping Baby Of The Year Contest
I noticed some red flags. For one, the heavy focus on voting started to feel like a popularity contest rather than a fair competition. Additionally, while the prizes that were promised to winners were enticing, the voting system involved pushing for votes via paid methods, which raised concerns. It gave the impression that those willing to spend more money might have a better chance of winning. Another aspect that made me wary was the lack of transparency about how the final winners would be selected. Though they claim judges will make the final decision, it felt unclear how much influence the voting had in the process.
In the end, while it’s a real contest, for me, it feels more like a promotional tool that has been designed to generate buzz and money rather than a fair competition based on the child’s qualities. If you’re thinking about entering, it’s important to keep that in mind and manage expectations.