BEAUTIFUL babies and terrific tots have been urged to come forward again this year for the Worcester News Baby of the Year competition.

Our popular competition will once again be on the hunt for the bonniest babies and the cheekiest smiles in Worcestershire.

The 2014 contest starts on Monday and all week, up to and including next Saturday, Fraser Portraits will be taking pictures in the former Diamonds and Pearls shop (opposite Mothercare) in Friary Walk CrownGate shopping centre, Worcester from 10am to 4pm.

Photographs will be taken for free but parents must return the following week to view and choose their favourite picture which will then be entered into the competition free of charge.

The entries will feature in a colour supplement in the Worcester News in April before readers are invited to vote for the cutest tots in three age categories: 0-9 months, 10-18 months and 19-36 months.

There will be one winner and two runners-up from each category with one of the category winners taking the ultimate title of overall champion.

All of the winners will take home a framed colour portrait of their little stunner.

Last year's champion was gorgeous Eva Atkinson, of Boughton Street, in St John's.

Little Eva, then 18 months old, beat more than 350 other entries to claim her title.

Her delighted parents won a photoshoot worth £1,750 at Picture Perfect Photography, a bouquet of flowers for mum and the coveted Worcester News silver salver.

Mum Catherine Cox said: "It was fantastic.

"We were very shocked she won but happy obviously.

"We have only just used our prize for a family picture.

"We wanted to wait for my little boy Edward to start sitting up.

"It was really good.

"After she won we kept going to Sainsbury's in St John's and they would say, 'oh here comes the winner.'

"It was quite embarrassing but good.

"We are going to put her brother Edward, who's 10 months old, in the competition this year."

Last year, 351 tots entered the competition and more than 10,000 readers texted, phoned and posted their votes for the top 10 in each category.