Jamaicans are now voting at a frenetic pace in this year’s Jamaica Observer Cutest Baby Photo Competition as excitement mounts to determine which of the 96 toddlers entered will take the grand prize in October.

Up to yesterday afternoon, 1,902 votes were received, prompting the Observer‘s head of advertising, marketing and communications Natalie Chin to project that the total will surpass the 2,000 received in 2015 when the competition was last held.

In that year 55 babies were entered in the competition, which was won by Michael Robinson. Rhea Russell and Zoila-Ryche Ruddock were the runners-up.

“In 2016 the competition was on a hiatus. However, we resurrected it this year due to its popularity based on the fact that parents are just so proud of their babies and want to share their beauty with their friends, neighbours and the wider Jamaica,” Chin said.

“Plus, the fact that our sponsors offer great prizes to the winners is an attractive bonus,” she added as she thanked Lasco and Ammar’s, which sponsored the 2015 competition and are back this year along with Molz Medical Centre, Leisure for Pleasure, Johnson’s, and Ricardo Nelson Photography.

To vote, readers are asked to place a tick in the box associated with the photo of the baby published in the four-page pull-out in the Observer three times weekly.

The page with the vote should be submitted to any of the Jamaica Observer‘s offices in Kingston, Mandeville, Ocho Rios or Montego Bay.

The first round of voting will end on September 30, after which the three babies with the highest number of votes will be named and publicised for the final round of voting, which is scheduled to end on October 25.

The overall winner will be announced on October 30.