Shooting Stars Winners Announced!

This is it – the big "reveal." What we've all been waiting for! This year was as tough as ever to pick winners in the three age categories (babies-18 months; 19 months-6 years; 7-12). But somehow we managed to pull our top contenders from all the beautiful faces that appeared at the event last month at the Skirball Cultural Center. So, thanks to everyone who participated! And thanks to the Skirball, the fabulous host for this year's event.

Parents, your "mock" covers are coming soon. And watch for these faces to appear on upcoming issues of L.A. Parent in 2010!

L.A. Parent's Shooting Stars 2009 Winners

Baby category: Zoe, 7 months, Oak Park

Child category: Dylan, 3-1/2 years, Woodland Hills

Youth category: Livia, 7 years, Studio City

L.A. Parent's Shooting Stars 2009 Runners Up

RU, baby: Gisele, 7 months, L.A.

RU, child: Joseph, 6-1/2 years, Westchester

RU, youth: Adolfo, 10 years, Panorama City

Shooting for the Stars

Adorable children came two by two, filing into Noah's Ark at the Skirball Cultural Center last Saturday for L.A. Parent's Shooting Stars Cover Kids Contest. Kids enjoyed the animals and playtime at the Ark, and we enjoyed meeting L.A. Parent readers and getting to know your beautiful children. Valerie Tabor Smith hardly took a breath all day, tirelessly snapping photo after photo to get those perfect shots of all the children who waited patiently to have their special time in front of the camera.

Parents who attended will receive a mock cover of L.A. Parent featuring their child's photograph. We'll spend the next week or so trying to pick just three who will appear on future issues of L.A. Parent (stay tuned for the results!) – although in our minds, all of the kids qualify as Shooting Stars!

In the meantime, check out a few photos from the day:

Shooting Stars Alert!

There's so much great stuff to report about L.A. Parent's Shooting Stars Cover Kids Contest on Saturday (10 a.m.- 3 p.m.) at the Skirball, I almost don't have room – or the time – to reveal it all.

First of all, the event itself is not a shallow beauty contest. Here at L.A. Parent, we know every kid is amazing and special, and photographer Valerie Tabor Smith is there to bring out both the inner and outer beauty of every child she photographs. It's truly an enriching experience to get to sit in front of her lens!

And it's always difficult to pick the top winner in each age category, but pick one we must. Those three will be featured on a future L.A. Parent cover (an incredible thrill indeed!) and will also receive an incredible prize package courtesy of Paul Frank Industries.

Aside from the chance to become L.A. Parent's official Shooting Star Cover Kid, for $25 you'll be getting a lot of bang for your buck. First of all, your kids get to play inside Noah's Ark at the Skirball for free (that's a $10 adult ticket and $5 child ticket savings right there!). Plus, crafty kiddos can join the drop-in art workshop or assemble funky structures in the "Ark-itecture" activity in the Family Amphitheater (again, all free!). There will even be a few props on display from the production of Where the Wild Things Are. And in about six weeks, we'll mail you the "mock" cover of L.A. Parent featuring the Valerie Tabor Smith photo taken on the day of the event.

Plus, L.A. Parent has received some amazing prizes to give away throughout the day in "A," "B" and "C" level categories. A few include:

• Wii, Nintendo DS and Playstation games from THQ, Atari and many others


• Forever Friends Dolls


• KAZAM push bikes


• Paul Frank clothing sets


• Ugly Doll & Snugaboo pkg


• Green Toys brand toys


• Blu Ray DVDs from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment


• BRAVO - Tony Hawk Huck Jam series skateboard, Pulse Kick Scooter and Slither Scooter


• WOW WOW Wubzy DVDs and books from AnchorBayEntertainment


• Kickboard USA g-bike, Kickboard Scooter and Mini Kickboard Scooter


• Mr. Toast and Shakey Bacon plush toys


• Gamewright games


• Hasbro card games


• Yo Gabba Gabba, Dora and Spongebob DVDs from Nickelodeon


• Freaky Creatures Set from Abandon Entertainment


• Roundabouts cupcake sleeves basket


• Animal Planet Nintendo DS and Wii games as well as animal totes and other toys from Discovery Toys

So don't miss out!