Is your baby a star? The Gerber Photo Search contest is set to return soon
Do you think your little one is meant to be the next Gerber baby? Well, they may have a chance to be just that next year, but not in 2025.
On the official Gerber baby IG page, some users left questions on their posts asking about the status of the popular Gerber baby photo contest. "How do we apply for our child to be a Gerber baby ?? 🥲" wrote one user in a post. And another user wrote on a different post, "When’s the 2025? I have the cutest little boy to enter!"
"We see your questions about Photo Search and wanted to let you know... the Photo Search is still on!" Gerber wrote in a recent story post that was added to its highlight reel on Instagram.
The post went on to say that the call for entry and full rules for the competition will be announced in January 2026.
Last year, the start of the competition was announced on April 30, 2024. But through the years, Gerber has changed when they began and announced the Photo Search
Gerber does not have any permanent plans around changing the timing for the program, a Gerber spokesperson told Paste BN in an email.
Gerber Photo Search was last held in 2024
The last Gerber Photo Search took place in 2024 when Akil McLeod was announced as the 2024 Gerber Baby and Chief Growing Officer, according to a news release on Gerber's website.
The toddler, known as "Sonny", is from Arizona and loves playing with toy cars and watching football with his family.
“Every day it’s an honor to watch Sonny conquer so many tiny achievements, from giggles, to trying new foods, to standing up and everything in between," Dominque McLeod, Sonny's mom, said in a release. "He’s a light in our lives and brings joy to everyone around him."
Sonny was recognized on his second birthday a few weeks ago on the Gerber IG page, which reads in part, "You’ve brought so much light to the Gerber family this year. Watching you grow has been such a gift! We are wishing you the happiest day filled with love, laughs, and all your favorite snacks."
Origins of the Gerber baby
The iconic face of the original Gerber Baby has become synonymous with the brand, and like today, that face was found through a contest held in 1928, according to Gerber.
A simple sketch of Ann Turner Cook, drawn by her family's neighbor, artist Dorothy Hope Smith, won the contest and grew so popular that, in 1931, it became Gerber's official trademark and it is the face of Gerber to this day.
Today, the Gerber baby is found in a similar way.
Parents have been entering their children into the annual Gerber Baby Photo Search since it began in June 2010, according to a press release published on its website. The first winner of the contest was announced in January 2011.
Of the over 217,000 contestants, judges picked 2-year-old Mercy Townsend from Toledo, Ohio.
In past years, content winners have had a chance to star in Gerber advertisements and win scholarship money.
List of babies who have won the Gerber Photo Search contest
Here's a list of all the winners from 2011 to 2024, according to past news releases and a list of past winners on their website.
- 2011-Mercy
- 2012-Tate
- 2013-Mary Jane
- 2014- Twins Levi and Paxton
- 2015- Grace
- 2016- Isla
- 2017- Riley
- 2018- Lucas
- 2019- Kairi
- 2020-Magnolia
- 2021- Zane
- 2022- Isa
- 2023- Madison
- 2024- Akil "Sonny"
Contributing: Emily DeLetter, Paste BN
Julia is a trending reporter for Paste BN. Connect with her on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and TikTok: @juliamariegz, or email her at jgomez@gannett.com