HURON, S.D. – In celebration of new life, Huron Regional Medical Center (HRMC) is hosting it’s second annual Cutest Baby contest during March and April, according to Kim Rieger, VP of marketing for HRMC.

“All babies are precious and cute – just ask any parent or grandparent!” said Rieger. “This contest is just something fun we’re doing with our Baby U Maternity Club to celebrate the miracle of new life.”

During the month of March, parents and grandparents are encouraged to enter a picture or short video of their precious baby. The nominee must live in the HRMC seven-county service area and be under the age of 12 months as of the contest start date, March 1, 2010.

“Last year was the first year for this contest and we had a tremendous response with 55 total entries and 1,700 people voting from 36 states,” Rieger said. “This year we’d like to see even more videos entered – technology has made it so easier to shoot a short clip of your precious little one on your cell phone and upload the video.”

Winners will be chosen via a People’s Choice vote. Throughout the month of April, area residents are invited to go to the hospital’s Web site and vote for their choice of “Cutest Baby.” The top vote getter will win the grand prize of a $100 certificate to a photo studio in Huron and a $200 savings bond. The runner up will receive a $100 savings bond. Winners will be announced on or before Mother’s Day.

To enter or to view the babies, just visit the hospital’s Web site. “We’ve also added some features to the site to give Web visitors an updated view of our maternity services,” said Rieger. “You can view video clips of our delivering physicians, maternity staff and satisfied moms, take a virtual tour and read what other parents are saying about their delivery experiences at HRMC.”

For more information about the contest, to enter or view the entries so far, visit www.huronregional.org/cutestbaby.

About Huron Regional Medical Center:
HRMC provides state-of-the-art health care with a caring, compassionate touch to residents in Huron and seven surrounding counties in the region. As a non-profit, private corporation, profits are reinvested directly into the hospital for such items as new or updated equipment and expanded programs. HRMC employs approximately 275 people from the area. For more information, visit HRMC’s Web site at www.huronregional.org.