You can increase your chances of winning baby photo contests by paying attention to details and realizing that winning begins before the photograph is even taken. The advice and tips below are courtesy of judges, contest rules and experienced mothers. One of the most important things to remember is that the entire experience can be fun and rewarding by following these few tips.

Baby Photo Contest Tips:

1. Read the fine print of the contest rules

2. Contests that offer a monetary prize, usually have an entry fee, so consider entering free baby photo contests

3. Never use makeup on the baby; natural is always better

4. Only submit quality photos; grainy, poorly done photos never win

Taking Quality Baby Contest Photos

There really is a trick to taking winning photos for baby contests. Just because you have a beautiful baby, doesn’t mean that anyone else will see that if the photo is terrible. In order to win a baby photo contest you need to make your photo stand out.

The key to winning is a cute baby AND a nice, high quality photograph. Some contests’ judges are quick to identify those photos that are posed and just as quick to disregard them. Instead of spending time trying to get the perfect pose, keep a camera nearby so that you are able to take advantages of those spur-of-the-moment, one-of-a-kind photo opportunities.

Other contests’ judges are less focused on the pose of the baby. Those are the contests where the winners are often obviously posed. The best idea is to check the contest’s website to look at the gallery of past winners. That will give you a good idea of what types of photos the judges seem to prefer.

Composition of the photo is of primary importance. The baby is the focus of the contest and should be the only person is the photo. Also, since the judges want to see how adorable your baby is, they really need to be able to see the face. Avoid big hats, sunglasses or profile photos, instead take photos of the baby facing directly into the camera.

The baby should take up most of the space in the photo. In other words use the zoom to close in on the baby’s face and avoid having too much background. A little background can add flair and interest, but too much can be overwhelming. This zooming process can also be accomplished using your computer’s photograph manipulation software.

Is the baby photo contest being held close to or in conjunction with a holiday? If so, consider incorporating the holiday into the photo; pumpkins near Halloween, bunnies near Easter, etc. This can give you the winning edge, especially if you can take a "spontaneous" pose.

If you are unsure of how to take quality photos, check your digital camera booklet to learn how to set your camera to the highest quality settings. Also visit the website of your camera’s manufacturer for photo-taking tips. The worst thing you can do is to submit a grainy photo or one where the baby’s eyes are red.

Following these few guidelines will increase your chances of winning baby photo contests by ensuring that you submit quality photos. It will also take the stress out of the process and make it fun and possibly even rewarding.