Jaci Rae, age 3
Jaci Rae, age 3

DALLAS, Feb 8, 2009 / FW/ — From 900,000 participants, these four bright faces stood out. Jaci Rae, 3, from New Jersey; Caleb, 3, from Illinois; Jovana, 10, from Illinois; and Kellen, 8, from Florida – who can be spotted in store windows from coast to coast this month as a part of babyGap and GapKids latest campaign are the four adorable, personality-filled winners of Gap’s third annual casting call for Gap Kids and BabyGap.

“This year’s contest was bigger than ever before – we had more entries, more participation with in-store photo events, more buzz and tougher choices to make when it came time to select the finalists out of so many adorable kids,” said Pam Wallack, president of babyGap, GapKids and GapMaternity.

Beginning on Sept. 15, 2008, parents across the country were encouraged to submit their child’s photo to Gap’s Casting Call Contest, resulting in nearly 900,000 eligible cuties’ photos uploaded to gap.com/castingcall.

Next, judges had the impossible task of narrowing down the pool to the top 20 finalists – 10 babies (ages four and under) and 10 kids (ages five to 10).

Caleb, age 3, from Gurnee, IL
Caleb, age 3, from Gurnee, IL

The top 10 boys and top 10 girls were flown to San Francisco for a sneak-peek of life as a bonafide model to participate in a real Gap photo shoot.

Voting opened on Dec. 8, 2008, and Americans were encouraged to log onto gap.com/castingcall and vote for their favorite future Gap kids and babies, one boy and one girl from each category. Voting closed just before the holidays and the votes have been totaled.

Not only are the winners featured in store windows nationwide, but they also receive a year’s supply of clothing from babyGap or GapKids and $450 worth of photo gifts from Snapfish by HP, Gap’s photo partner for the contest.

Meet the Winners:

babyGap [ages four and under]

Jaci Rae, age 3, from Bedminster, NJ – Jaci Rae loves going to the playground, listening to Disney Kids music and playing with her full-service restaurant toy where she cooks, serves and takes food orders.

Jaci Rae was spotted at an in-store photo event near her hometown in New Jersey. Her gorgeous hair caught the attention of not only Gap, but the thousands of Americans that voted for her.

Jovana, age 10, from Rochelle, IL
Jovana, age 10, from Rochelle, IL

Caleb, age 3, from Gurnee, IL – Caleb is a budding athlete who loves Tiger Woods, Lebron James and playing catch with his Brett Favre football. When he isn’t playing sports, Caleb can be found with his Spiderman collection and his WALL-E robot.

This was the second year that Caleb’s mother, Donna, entered her little star into Gap’s Casting Call and had difficulty containing her excitement when she heard the good news that Caleb was a finalist.

GapKids [ages five to ten]

Jovana, age 10, from Rochelle, IL – Jovana loves to snack on red apples, giving her the energy she needs for fast pitching in softball and playing basketball.

When she isn’t perfecting her pitch and throwing three-pointers, Jovana loves to sleep in and hang out with her friends.

Her favorite subject is science, and she would love to be a teacher or veterinarian when she grows up. Jovana became instant friends with one of the other 20 finalists at the photo shoot in San Francisco, and they keep in touch to this day.

Kellen, age 8, from Wellington, FL
Kellen, age 8, from Wellington, FL

Kellen, age 8, from Wellington, FL – Kellen is a talented gamer who loves to play video games. When he isn’t playing with his Wii or Game Boy, Kellen can be found doing flips and handstands of his own with Judo, break dancing and gymnastics.

He is building his resume for when he becomes a model or actor. When he was on the San Francisco photo shoot, he was showing off his moves doing upside down head-spins, jumps and twists, keeping the entire crew entertained.

“Each year we receive so many fantastic entries, and this year was no exception,” adds Wallack. “I wish we could feature them all, but the winning four children reflect the look of the brand exceptionally. Congratulations to Jaci Rae, Caleb, Jovana and Kellen!”

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