ENTRIES for the Daily Echo Child of the Year 2006 contest are pouring in.

Parents have been queuing up to put their youngsters forward .

These first few pictures show that the standards are extremely high.

Mums and dads need to hurry because there are just nine days left for your child to take part.

The Daily Echo Child of the Year competition is open to youngsters aged up to five years old.

For the 11th year running the contest is being sponsored by The Mall Marlands shopping centre in Southampton.

Boasting more than 45 stores on two floors, The Mall Marlands offers everything from designer labels and affordable fashions through to home wares, furnishings, toys and gifts.

It includes high street names such as Matalan, the Disney Store, The Entertainer, Cargo, Fopp Records, Legends, The Perfume Shop, Bay Trading, MkOne, Hawkins Bazaar and West One. Photographers from BCR Photographic will once again be on hand at The Mall Marlands every day until June 17.

Prizes include hundreds of pounds worth of vouchers from The Entertainer toy store, certificates and framed photographs.

The Child of the Year 2006 will be voted for by Daily Echo readers who can view all the entries in a supplement published on Wednesday, July 26.

l Simply cut out the coupon on this page of today's Daily Echo and take it along to the former Index shop on the first floor of The Mall Marlands shopping centre in Southampton for your free photographic sitting.