The Bonds Baby Search is a rite of passage for many parents, especially first-time mums and dads who all, rightly, believe their baby is the cutest in all the land.
Now in its 18th year, the search attracted a record-breaking number of entries in 2023.
There were three categories - newborn (zero to six months), baby (six months to two years) and toddler (two to three years), with winners decided by a panel of judges.
And Canberra can now lay claim to having the nation's cutest toddler.
Two-year-old Gungahlin toddler Ishani won over the judges with her "cheeky smile, playful pose, and adorable outfit", a Bonds onesie, of course.
As one of the three national winners, she snagged $10,000 - and bragging rights at daycare.
Stunned mum Dileka Pathiratna said she sent in the photo of Ishani to the competition and then "left it at that".
When Bonds let her know that Ishani was one of the national winners, Dileka said it was a surreal moment.
"I looked at the email and I was like, 'What? Is she? Really?'. It was a complete surprise," she said.
Ishani, who was making Play-Doh pasta when the news came through, was happily oblivious to it all.
"We had some music playing and I just said, 'Something big has happened' and she was happy just for the dance party to keep going," Dileka said, with a laugh.
The two-year-old, who gets her curls from her grandmother, is just a happy kid.
"She is full of life," Dileka said. "She loves cooking, she loves dancing, all things Bluey and The Wiggles. A typical toddler."
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