Sugarland’s Cutest Kid Cover Contest 2013 Frequently Asked Questions

Sugarland’s Cutest Kid Cover Contest
Frequently Asked Questions

What is Sugar Land’s Cutest Kid Cover Contest?
This is Sugar Land Magazine’s annual cover contest where we view hundreds of photos of local children in hopes of unearthing an adorable boy winner and a girl winner to be showcased on our first cover of the year. The remaining 12 to 15 contest winners will be photographed for special spotlights and pictorials throughout the magazine.

How old are the contestants?
This contest is for ages 2 to 8 years old.

Are there other qualifications?
Yes, children must live in Fort Bend County and be available to attend our big cover contest photo shoot in mid-December. We also request that contestants are capable of sitting or cooperating for a photo shoot. (Sometimes very shy or super active children are not a good fit for this contest.)

How can I enter my child into the contest?
Email one to two close-up photos of your child, along with their name and age, your (parent’s) name, your mailing address, and your contact information (email address and phone number) to [email protected].

Can I send more than one to two photos?
We receive so many entries that our email system gets overloaded, so please only send one to two. If you send more, you may be disqualified from the contest.

When is the deadline to enter my child’s photo?
Nov. 30.

What kind of photos should I send?
Photos should be at least 300 KB in size in case we need to use them to showcase your child as a finalist. Our favorite kinds of photos are close up, colorful pictures of your child, smiling and looking at the camera. Please do not send copyright-protected photography, because we will often run these submitted photos as part of the contest.

How are the winners selected?
After the deadline, our editors and photographer will meet and review all the photos together. From there, we choose between 12 and 15 children who get a unanimous YES from all of our team. The parents are then invited to our winners photo shoot held at our Katy office. While at the photo shoot, our editors will be on the lookout for personality, big smiles, happy eyes looking at the camera, the ability to follow directions and cooperate, and an overall photogenic appeal. It’s a fun, lively photo shoot where we will use props and fun settings to stage photos to use in various sections of the magazine (education, health, feature stories, events calendar, section openers, etc). From this photo shoot, we will select two cover winners; a boy and a girl. The best two shots of the day win! Sometimes, the set, the photo, the lighting, and the child’s mood will make for a very good photo that is chosen as the Cover Star Winner.

What if my child is shy?
If your child is a little shy, but can still follow directions and be relatively comfortable with new people, that’s fine. If your child will not sit for photographers or does not like new places or people right away, chances are they will not do well at the photo shoot and this may not be suitable for him or her. Although we always try to bring out a child’s best smile and make the photo shoot fun, we will never force a child to sit for a photo shoot if they are very uncomfortable or afraid. If this happens, we will present your child as a finalist and send you home.

What do the children win?
Although this is not a monetary contest, two of the 12 to 15 winners will be the top COVER STAR winners and will be profiled on the covers of our magazines. All 12 to 15 winners will be featured in various sections of the magazine and named as Sugar Land’s Cutest Kid Winners to our 80,000 readers. If we are not able to get your child to cooperate at the photo shoot, they may not be showcased, but this is very rare. All children will receive a colorful, commemorative certificate naming them as winners. We will also provide a letter from our publisher and a magazine for your child to have as a keepsake! We will also provide you with courtesy photos from the contest upon request.

What is the difference between Sugar Land’ Cutest Kid Cover Contest and Sugar Land Sweeties submissions?
Sugar Land’s Cutest Kid Cover Contest is an annual contest we sponsor each year to unearth the area’s most photogenic children, including their photos in a large feature showcasing all the winners in the first issue of the year. Sugar Land Sweeties is a pictorial section in the magazine where we showcase small photos of cute kids in each issue.

How will I know if my child is a winner?
Our editors will email you congratulating your child for being named a winner at the end of November. You and your child will be invited to the Winners Photo Shoot held in mid-December. We will also select several finalists whose submitted photos will also be showcased in Sugar Land Magazine! After the winners photo shoot, we will send an email to the 12 to 15 winners notifying you if your child made the cover and other information about where he or she is pictured in the magazine!

When will the cover winners’ photos for Sugar Land Magazine be published?
The Sugar Land Cutest Kid issue comes out Jan. 15 and circulates to 80,000 families for three months! We print 40,000 issues with the girl cover and 40,000 issues with the boy cover.

Where can I get the Sugar Land Cutest Kid Issue?
We mail thousands of magazines to homes, so you may receive it in the mail. You may pick it up at most CVS and Walgreens stores in the Fort Bend area around the 15th of January. We also mail a copy to all winners, along with a certificate of recognition and a congratulations letter from the publisher. If you can’t find Sugar Land Magazine, please call our office at 281-579-7944 and we can help you locate one.

What if I entered two or more children?
Each child has an equal chance of being selected, but the chances that both or all of your children being chosen for the winners photo shoot is very unlikely. This doesn’t mean one child is more beautiful; it may just mean one child had a particularly great photo submission that appealed to our editors.

Can I buy the photos from the winners photo shoot?
Sugar Land Magazine’s intention is to find the cutest kid in Fort Bend – not to sell photos or profit from this contest. We hope to publish as many photos as we can from the winners photo shoot, so you can see your child’s photo(s), but we do not release our photos for sale for privacy reasons. We MAY be able to provide parents with a few courtesy photos of your child’s winning photos after the issue runs. Just email your request to [email protected] after Feb. 1, 2013 and request some courtesy photos of your child.

Who can I call with questions?
If you still have questions, after reading this FAQ, please contact our editors at [email protected].
You may also call us at 281-579-7944.

We are very excited to have you enter your child in Sugar Land’s Cutest Kid Cover Contest 2013! Good luck!
See a list of our past Cover Stars and Cover Contest Winners by visiting Sugarland’s Cutest Kid Cover Contest Past Winners