A picture may well be “worth a thousand words,” but as any proudparent knows, a picture of a cute baby is worth a million smiles,chuckles and giggles. No smile on earth beats the grin of a happybaby.

Practically all parents are convinced that their little one’ssmile is worthy of gracing the cover of a magazine – or of winninga photo contest, at the very least. Now, you have the opportunityto show the world just how cute your baby is with the Parents Magazine Cover Contest, which wraps up June 19 at 10:50p.m. Central time.

The contest winner will appear on the cover of ParentsMagazine’s November issue. Judges will choose 20 semifinalists (seethe Parents magazine cover contest official rules for criteria),then narrow the field to nine finalists and a Reader’s Choicewinner.

“We’re looking for photos that really reflect the child’spersonality and show him or her in a happy, playful mood,” saysDana Points, editor-in-chief of the magazine. “Parents can uploadup to six pictures of each child.”

To enter, go to www.Parents.com and click on the photocontest button. The website will walk you through how to uploadyour photos and submit them for consideration in the contest. Aweek after entering, you’ll receive an e-mail alert that yourchild’s photo is ready for Reader’s Choice voting. Parents, friendsand family will then be able to vote daily for a week. The photowith the most votes each week will become a Reader’s Choicesemi-finalist. Around July 7, the 11 semi-finalists will be postedfor final voting to determine the Reader’s Choice winner.

Ready to enter but not sure how to take a winning photo? Pointsoffers a few tips for taking the best possible photo of your littlestar:

* Make sure your child’s personality shines through during ahappy, energetic moment.

* Avoid a busy background. Keep it simple and natural (outdoorsis good) so the background doesn’t distract from the focal point -your child.

* Don’t put too many clothes on the cute kid. No hats orpeek-a-boo blankets.

* Your child should be the focal point of the image, but avoid areally extreme close-up; be sure to get some background to make thephoto interesting.

* Snap away – the more photos you take, the more you will haveto choose from when uploading for the contest.

The contest closes June 19, so log on to www.parents.com todayand your child’s precious smile could appear on the cover ofParents Magazine.

Courtesy of ARAcontent