Less than a year old and she already has her first job.
A 7-month old Michigan baby named Isla is the winner of the annual Gerber Baby photo contest, which means she will appear in ads for the baby food company throughout 2016. On Wednesday, Gerber announced Isla as the winner of the contest, which comes with a $50,000 grand prize as well as $1,500-worth of Gerber childrenswear and the opportunity to serve as the brand’s “spokesbaby” for a year
Isla won’t replace the classic Gerber Baby sketch that has adorned the brand’s products—such as mushy peas and carrots—for more than 80 years. But, Gerber—a Fremont, Mich.-based subsidiary of massive conglomerate Nestlé SA—has chosen one adorable baby every year since 2010 to appear in a series of ads.
The winning photo of Isla features a close-up of the baby girl’s smiling face and dark, tousled hair, with her chin resting preciously on a chubby little hand. “While we received so many incredible entries, the judges all fell in love with Isla’s cheeky smile and awesome hair,” Gerber senior media marketing manager Bernadette Tortorella said in a statement.
Gerber chose the image out of more than 170,000 entries and Isla will replace last year’s winner, then 7-month-old Grace, a resident of East Petersburg, Penn.
Nestlé paid $5.5 billion to acquire the Gerber brand from Swiss drugmaker Novartis in 2007 to expand its presence in the global baby food market, which is expected to reach nearly $73 billion in sales by 2020.
