Official Competition Guide
Everything parents, competitors, and supporters need to understand the competition, voting, youth safety, fundraising, and the championship experience.
The Competition at a Glance
Who operates it?
Baby of the Year is operated by Colossal Management, LLC as part of a fundraising campaign for DTCare, a registered 501(c)(3) public charity.
What does the competition support?
Votes by donation help support Baby2Baby through DTCare.
How is the champion selected?
The champion is determined through public voting according to the competition Rules. Colossal, the charity partner and brand partners do not select the winner.
Who can participate?
Parents or legal guardians may enter their baby under 24 months old. Current age, residency, and eligibility requirements are listed in the Official Rules.
How are young competitors protected?
The competition uses parental consent requirements, restricted access to sensitive information, profile moderation, voting safeguards, and processes for reviewing or removing information.
Explore the Guide
ABOUT THE COMPETITION
What is Baby of the Year?
Baby of the Year is a nationwide online competition celebrating new life, proud families, and community coming together to support babies everywhere.
The 2026 champion will appear in a nationwide, multi-channel advertising campaign reaching millions of consumers across digital, social, print, retail, and out-of-home media.
The competition also raises awareness and financial support for Baby2Baby through DTCare, a registered 501(c)(3) public charity.
Important Clarification
Baby of the Year is operated by Colossal Management, LLC.
The Honest Company, Baby2Baby, Variety, Graco and other participating organizations do not operate the competition or determine its winner.
Who is Colossal?
Colossal operates online competitions that celebrate individuals and help raise money and awareness for charitable causes.
For Baby of the Year, Colossal manages the competition experience, including:
Registration and eligibility review
Competitor profiles
Voting technology
Vote monitoring and fraud prevention
Customer support
Community moderation
Competition compliance
Marketing
Prize fulfillment
How does the competition work?
1. Parent or Guardian Enters the Baby
Entries are submitted and managed by a parent or legal guardian. Submitted information is reviewed for eligibility and compliance with the competition Rules.
2. Each Baby Receives a Public Profile
Accepted competitors receive a profile where supporters can learn about your baby and vote.
Because voting takes place online, competition profiles are public and may be visible through shared links, competition pages, and group pages.
3. Supporters Vote During Each Round
Supporters may cast a Free Daily Vote or choose an optional Donation Vote.
4. Competitors Advance Through Voting Rounds
During the group phase, competitors advance based on their ranking within their assigned group. Later rounds proceed according to the schedule and advancement requirements in the Official Rules.
5. The Champion Is Confirmed
The competitor with the highest qualifying vote total at the end of the competition is confirmed as the champion after voting activity is reviewed.
View our previous champions HERE.
How do groups work?
Each accepted baby is assigned to a competition group. Babies compete against others within their group during the early rounds.
Groups are created to organize a large nationwide competition into manageable voting rounds. Colossal works to keep groups appropriately balanced, but the specific group size may vary as entries are reviewed and the competition progresses.
At the end of each group round, the highest-ranked qualifying competitors advance according to the Official Rules.
HOW VOTING WORKS
How does voting work?
There are two ways to support a competitor:
Free Daily Vote
Eligible voters may cast one Free Daily Vote during the applicable voting period. Facebook verification is used to help reduce bot activity and automated voting.
Donation Vote
Supporters may also choose to cast votes by donation. These donations are processed through DTCare and help support Baby2Baby after disclosed competition fees and costs.
Donation Votes are optional. Competitors can advance through Free Daily Votes.
Important Rule for Entering Parents and Guardians
A parent or legal guardian who entered a baby may use their Free Daily Vote in support of that baby. Entrants may not cast Donation Votes for the child they entered.
How is the Champion selected?
The champion is determined by public voting under the Official Rules. Colossal does not select a winner based on personal story, or staff preference.
The Honest Company, Baby2Baby, Variety, Graco and other participating organizations do not operate the competition or determine its winner.
Why is Facebook used for Free Daily Vote?
Facebook verification helps reduce automated voting and supports a fairer Free Daily Vote process.
Facebook is used for vote verification only. Your information stays protected and is used only for vote integrity.
How does Colossal protect voting integrity?
Colossal monitors voting for suspicious or unauthorized activity, including bot activity, automated voting, manipulation, and other behavior that may violate the Rules.
Votes determined to be invalid may be removed. Final results may be subject to review before advancement or championship status is confirmed.
Beware of Fraudulent Voting Services
Accounts claiming they can sell guaranteed votes, rankings, or advancement are not affiliated with Baby of the Year or Colossal.
Families and supporters should:
Avoid sending money or information to these accounts
Report and block suspicious accounts
Send screenshots or links to Support
Use only the official competition website for voting
No third-party service can guarantee advancement or a winning placement.
Are Donation Votes refundable?
Donation Votes are nonrefundable once they have been successfully processed. This is because votes affect competition rankings and advancement as soon as they are applied.
Voters are asked to review and agree to the applicable terms before completing a donation. For questions about a specific transaction, please contact our Support team so they can review the details.
Are Donation Votes tax deductible?
Yes. Donations made through Donation Votes are contributed to DTCare, a registered 501(c)(3) public charity, and are generally tax deductible for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
After the competition concludes, DTCare grants funds to Baby2Baby after the fees and costs disclosed in the Official Rules. Donors receive a donation receipt by email for their records.
Individual tax circumstances may vary. Donors should consult a qualified tax professional with questions about their specific situation.
YOUTH SAFETY AND PRIVACY
How is youth participation managed?
Baby of the Year is designed to be managed by parents and legal guardians.
Parents or guardians are responsible for:
Submitting a baby’s entry
Managing the competitor account
Choosing the information and photos submitted
Sharing the competitor profile
Reviewing applicable eligibility rules
Contacting Support if information should be corrected or removed
For children under 13, parental or legal guardian consent is required in accordance with applicable privacy requirements.
Is my child’s profile public?
Yes. Each accepted competitor receives a profile that supporters can visit and use to vote.
Profiles may be accessible through:
The competitor’s unique link
Competition group pages
The competition website
Links shared by family members and supporters
Parents and guardians should submit only photos and information they feel comfortable displaying publicly.
Why does the competition require photos?
Photos serve two primary purposes:
Identity and Eligibility
Photos help verify that an entry represents a real and eligible competitor.
The Public Voting Experience
Photos allow voters to identify the baby they are supporting and help create the competitor’s public profile.
Photos are used in connection with participation in Baby of the Year. Parents and guardians should review the Official Rules for the full license and usage terms before submitting an entry.
What happens to submitted photos?
Parents and guardians retain the ownership rights they have in submitted photos.
By submitting photos, the entrant grants the permissions described in the Official Rules so Colossal can operate and promote the competition. This may include displaying photos on the competition website, in competition communications, and in competition-related promotional materials.
Parents and legal guardians may contact Support to request that information be reviewed, corrected, or removed.
How is personal information protected?
Colossal uses safeguards designed to protect participant and voter information, including:
Encrypted website connections
Restricted access to sensitive information
Security monitoring and vulnerability review
Secure payment processing
Internal access controls
Processes for reviewing privacy and safety concerns
Personal information is used to operate the competition, support competitors and voters, process eligible transactions, protect voting integrity, and meet legal and compliance obligations.
What should I do if I have a safety concern?
Parents and guardians should contact Support if they:
Want a profile reviewed or removed
See inappropriate comments or messages
Suspect impersonation or exploitation
Receive contact from a suspicious account
Believe personal information has been exposed
Have another concern involving a young competitor
ELIGIBILITY
Who is eligible?
Babies under the age of 24 months, at the time of entry, are eligible to participate. Entries must be submitted by a parent or legal guardian who is a citizen or permanent legal resident of the United States or Canada (excluding Quebec).
CHARITY AND FUNDRAISING
Who benefits from the competition?
The designated charitable beneficiary for the 2026 Baby of the Year competition is Baby2Baby.
Baby2Baby is a national nonprofit that provides basic essentials to over one million children in need each year. Over the last 15 years, Baby2Baby has distributed over half a billion critical items to families in need across all 50 states. The Baby of the Year competition has helped deliver a $45 million grant to further their mission.
Where do donations go?
When a supporter casts a Donation Vote, the donation is processed through DTCare, a registered 501(c)(3) public charity.
After the competition concludes, DTCare grants funds to the designated charity beneficiary after the deductions disclosed in the Official Rules, which may include:
Colossal’s competition management fee
Payment processing expenses
Operating and prize costs
The nominal percentage retained by DTCare
DTCare maintains custody and control of funds raised through Donation Votes.
Why are Colossal and DTCare involved?
Colossal
Colossal provides the technology, marketing, moderation, verification, customer support, compliance, fraud prevention, and prize fulfillment required to operate the competition at a nationwide scale.
DTCare
DTCare receives and administers donations made through Donation Votes. This structure supports tax-deductible giving and provides an accountable process for granting funds to the designated charitable beneficiary.
Why not donate directly?
Donating directly to the Baby2Baby is also a valid way to support its mission.
The competition adds a large-scale public campaign that helps introduce the organization to new audiences while giving babies and their communities a shared experience in which to participate.
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Operated by Colossal.org for DTCare (83‑3344803), a nationally registered public charity which will grant donations to Baby2Baby. For more information see our disclosures.