THE Advertiser/Messenger's Baby and Super Kid of the Year competitions reached their grand finale at a special prize giving ceremony in Bromsgrove on Friday.

The competition began back in March when mums and dads were invited to take their children to McDonald's in Bromsgrove's High Street to have their photographs taken as part of the entry procedure.

The pictures, which were taken by our professional photographers - BCR Photographic - then appeared in the paper when readers were invited to vote by telephone for their choice in the two categories.

In the Baby of the Year there were three sections - 0-6 months, 7-12 months and 13 months-2 years, while in the Superkid competition the sections were 2-3 years, over 3-4 years and over 4-5 years.

There was an exceptional entry list which attracted hundreds of phone nominations and produced one overall winner in each section plus one runner-up from the remaining two categories.

The prizes were presented on Friday by Advertiser/Messenger editor, Alan Wallcroft, at the Hanover International Hotel, Bromsgrove. He said the competition had once again been a wonderful success with a very healthy number of entries. And he said that in the eyes of all the mums and dads every entrant had been a winner.

Seven-month-old Courtney Bateman, from Catshill, won the Baby of the Year prize, with two-year-old Megan Barton, from Bromsgrove, collecting the runner-up prize; while in the Superkid event Megan Lunnon, aged four, of Sidemoor was the winner, with two-year-old Bonnieval Webb, of Droitwich, the runner-up.

The overall winner in each competition received a 20in x 16in framed portrait worth £175, while the runners up received 15in x 12in framed portraits worth £125. Every prize winner also received a free family meal for four at McDonald's.