Local baby needs your online votes to help her in nationwide contest

REXBURG — A local baby is competing in a nationwide contest and needs the community’s support to advance her to another round.

Tatjana Zumbach and Hyrum Ormerod, of Rexburg, entered their youngest daughter, Zephyranthes Ormerod, into Colossal’s “Baby of the Year” competition. The baby that wins receives $25,000, gets to appear in a national ad campaign with The Honest Company, and be celebrated in the pages of Variety Magazine.

“It seemed like a fun opportunity to compete nationwide for her to have this title as ‘Baby of the Year,'” Tatjana said. “The more I read about the purpose of the competition, and what it entailed, it seemed like a fun thing to be a part of.”

Zephyranthes is 15 months old and the youngest of three kids. Her parents said she has a “strong personality” and is “so fun to be around.”

“We would describe her as aggressive but in a good sense of the word,” Tatjana added. “She knows what she wants and will go to the end to get what she wants.”

The “Baby of the Year” is chosen through public voting. Tatjana said the competition started on Aug. 31, and over the past few weeks, it’s narrowed from the top 20 to the top 15 to the top 10. Zephyranthes has stayed in first place in her group for three weeks in a row.

This Thursday, the competition will be narrowed to the top five in each group, and next Thursday, to the top one in each group.

“That determines who moves on to the quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals,” Tatjana explained, but mentioned it’s not clear how many groups there are in the contest.

The grand-prize winner will be announced on or before Dec. 5.

“We want as many people to know about (the contest) so they can help out,” she said. “You can vote more than once, but (for free votes) it has to be 24 hours from the last time you voted.”

Supporters can cast one free vote daily for Zephyranthes, or they can make a donation benefiting Baby2Baby, and every dollar donated is equal to one additional vote. The Colossal website explains.

The website mentions that donations raised from votes cast during the competition “go directly to DTCare, which will subsequently grant the donations … to Baby2Baby.”

Baby2Baby is a national nonprofit that provides essential items to over 1 million children in need each year.

“We’re happy to be supporting that cause through this competition,” Tatjana mentioned.

Tatjana and Hyrum said if their daughter wins, they will use the prize money to move out of their two-bedroom apartment into a home in Rexburg, a community they love and have called home for almost seven years.

“We know that Rexburg’s motto is ‘America’s Family Community’ (and) we see that … we want to continue to be part of this community,” Tatjana stated. “And we know how much this community loves to serve, and we feel that not only would we benefit from everyone’s daily votes, but if people feel inclined to donate, it goes to a cause that I think a lot of people would support and feel strongly about in this community.”

To vote for Zephyranthes, click here.