A CHEEKY smile and a cute face were the crucial ingredients that helped Jordan Houghton Smith win our readers' hearts - and the Daily Echo's Baby of the Year 1998 competition.

The Southampton youngster was 19 months old when he put a smile on the face of his mum Joanna, of Tankerville Road, Woolston, by claiming the crown ahead of a record number of entries.

But there was plenty of competition with Wallis Clark, from North Baddesley, winning the 0-9 months age group and Chloe Waterman, from Thornhill, Southampton, voted the best in the 19-36 months category.

Now, one year on, it's time to go gaga again as mums and dads all over Hampshire put forward their pride and joy for the 1999 competition.

They will be hoping the perfect pictures of their little angel will lead to them toddling off with the title.

More than 900 babies were bid-ding to be Top of the Tots in last year's competition.

The contest, which is being sponsored once more by Southampton's Marlands Shopping Centre, is voted on by our readers who provide 15 finalists.

A Daily Echo selection panel will then choose the top three in the three age categories and the all-important overall winner.

Prizes include framed canvas prints, over £800 worth of High Street vouchers and the Daily Echo crystal bowl.

So, if you think your bundle of fun has a winning look, cut out the coupon on this page, get down to the bandstand outside Dunnes Store in Southampton's Marlands Centre at the publicised times and keep your fingers crossed.

Snappers from BCR Photographic will be on hand to capture your child's unique character and it's all free of charge so you've nothing to lose by entering.

You never know - it could be the first step in a lucrative career.

Daily Echo events organiser Jo Richardson said: "We had a fantastic response last year with hundreds of gorgeous babies being entered and we expect the standard this year to be just as high.

"And we want to hit the 1,000 entries for the first time."

Converted for the new archive on 25 January 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.