The Million Moms Challenge launches “Imagine Me & You” Photo Contest

Calling all expectant moms! Today, the Million Moms Challenge, in collaboration with ABC News, the United Nations Foundation, Disney Baby and Anne Geddes, launched Imagine Me & You – a photo contest to win a trip for two adults, plus baby, to Australia for a photo shoot with the world-renowned photographer Anne Geddes.

The contest – which will be announced on Good Morning America Monday, November 28th –  is designed to celebrate the universal dream that mothers  everywhere have for healthy, happy babies who will grow to reach their full potential.   To enter the contest, expectant moms in their third trimester can upload a picture of their “baby bump” on www.Facebook.com/millionmomschallenge – along with an original, creative message written on their bellies capturing their wishes and dreams for life with their little one.

America will vote on the images from December 6th to December 15th.  The three finalists will be announced on ABC News December 16th.  Anne Geddes will personally select the grand-prize winner in January, and will shoot a rare private portrait of the winning mom and newborn in her Sydney, Australia, studio.

“To illustrate the importance of love and family in the earliest stages of life is a message that I stand behind and feel privileged to experience every day,” said Geddes, who has made a commitment to the United Nations’ Every Woman Every Child effort to raise awareness about the need to improve the health of women and children in the developing world. “That is why I am proud to be a part of the Million Moms Challenge Imagine Me & You contest.”

Realizing that a healthier tomorrow for our world starts with healthy moms and babies today, the Million Moms Challenge engages millions of Americans with millions of moms in developing countries around issues that affect pregnancy, childbirth and children’s health.

“Mothers around the world look forward to sharing special moments with their babies,” noted Kathy Calvin, CEO of the United Nations Foundation. “But in developing countries up to 1.5 million newborns die within the first 24 hours– and most of these lives could have been saved with better health care.  This contest will highlight those precious milestones in life that partners like the United Nations and the Shot@Life campaign will help make a reality for mothers and children around the world.”

“There is so much we can do together – so many simple ways for us all to link arms to help every mother and child have a chance to lead a healthy life,” said Diane Sawyer, anchor of ABC World News.   Sawyer will anchor a primetime special on maternal/newborn health that will air December 16th.

Disney Baby, a new brand from Disney Consumer Products, which provides parents with the essentials they need to bond with baby at every stage, is pledging to donate $50,000 to several of the largest NGOs helping moms and babies throughout the world.  Each semi-finalist will receive a gift basket of Disney Baby merchandise valued at $500. Finalists will also win a year’s worth of Huggies brand diapers.

“Our goal with Disney Baby is to help moms create magical moments with their babies right from the start. We’re excited to join the Million Moms Challenge, to share those moments with America, and generate  awareness for such a great cause,” said Jessi Dunne, executive vice president, Disney Moms and Babies for Disney Consumer Products.

Submissions for Imagine Me & You are open from now until 11:59 p.m. EST, December 4, 2011. Expectant moms in the United States can upload pictures on www.Facebook.com/millionmomschallenge.

To get involved in the conversation about healthy moms and babies around the world, follow @AMillionMoms on Twitter and use the hash-tag #AMillionMoms

ABC News Contact:
David Ford/ david.ford@abc.com/ 212.456.7243

U.N. Foundation Contact: 
Eric Porterfield / eporterfield@unfoundation.org/ 646.637.6438

Disney Baby and Disney Consumer Products Contact: 
Nidia Caceros Tatalovich/ nidia.tatalovich@disney.com / 818.544.0399

Geddes Group Contact: 
Sandi Mendelson / smendelson@hmieast.com / 212.725.7707

About ABC News  
ABC News is responsible for all of the ABC Television Network’s news programming on a variety of platforms: television, radio and the Internet.  Its flagship program is “World News with Diane Sawyer” with other programs including “Good Morning America,” “Nightline,” “Primetime,” “20/20,” and the Sunday morning political affairs program “This Week with Christiane Amanpour.” With an average television and radio audience of 180 million people in a given month, ABC News surpasses the competition.  More than 2,400 affiliate stations broadcast ABC News Radio’s global news coverage.  In addition, ABC News NOW is a 24-hour news and information network currently available to 44 million users across cable, broadband, and mobile platforms. NewsOne, the affiliate news service of ABC News, provides live and packaged news, sports, and weather reports, as well as footage of news events, to 200 ABC affiliates and more than 30 domestic and international clients. Visit www.abcnews.com.

About the United Nations Foundation
The United Nations Foundation, a public charity, was created in 1998 with entrepreneur and philanthropist Ted Turner’s historic $1 billion gift to support UN causes and activities. The UN Foundation builds and implements public/private partnerships to address the world’s most pressing problems, and works to broaden support for the UN through advocacy and public outreach.  Through campaigns and partnerships, the organization connects people, ideas, and resources to help the UN solve global problems. The campaigns reduce child mortality, empower women and girls, create a new energy future, secure peace and human rights, and promote technology innovation to improve health outcomes. These solutions are helping the UN advance the eight global targets known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). For more information, visit www.unfoundation.org.

About Anne Geddes
One of the world’s most respected photographers, Anne Geddes creates images that are iconic, multi-award winning, internationally acclaimed, and beloved. Like no photographer before, her imagery singularly captures the beauty, purity, vulnerability, and preciousness of children, embodying her deeply held belief that each and every child must be protected, nurtured, and loved.
Throughout her career Anne Geddes has continued to give back.  In 1992 Anne, with her husband Kel, started The Geddes Philanthropic Trust to raise funds and awareness worldwide for the prevention of child abuse and neglect. In 2011, Anne was proud to announce her partnership with the United Nation’s Every Woman, Every Child initiative, which she hopes will continue to help make the health and welfare of pregnant women, and newborn children, a global priority. Anne’s work has been published in 83 countries and her books have sold more than 18 million copies worldwide.  Visit www.AnneGeddes.com.

About Disney Baby 
DisneyBaby provides parents with the essentials they need for Creating Magical Moments Right From The Start™. Through parent-inspired designs, developed by our own team of Disney Momgineers, Disney Baby offers today’s parents everything they need to bond with baby at every stage. The Disney Baby line includes essentials for Apparel, Nursery, On the Go, Bathtime, Feeding, Discovery and Celebration. The Disney Baby collection’s debut item is the patent-pending Disney Cuddly Bodysuit™, made with Disney Huggable Soft 100% Cotton™ and featuring Snaps That Grow With Your Baby ™ for longer wear. For more information, please visit www.disneybaby.com or join us at www.YouTube.com/DisneyBaby like us at www.Facebook.com/DisneyBaby and follow us at www.Twitter.com/DisneyBaby  You can find the Disney Cuddly Bodysuit™ available for purchase on www.Amazon.com/disneybaby.

About the Million Moms Challenge
The Million Moms Challenge is a joint effort of ABC News and the UN Foundation, in conjunction with corporate partners Johnson & Johnson and BabyCenter.  The Million Moms Challenge partners include some of the world’s most respected NGOs, including African Medical and Research Foundation, CARE, Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition, GAVI Alliance, mothers2mothers, ONE, Partners in Health, Riders for Health, Save the Children, the UN Foundation’s Shot@Life campaign, US Fund for UNICEF, White Ribbon Alliance, and WorldVision, the UN Refugee Agency, Americans for UNFPA , Helen Keller International, International Medical Corps, Mercy Corps, and Every Mother Counts.

To sign up for the Million Moms Challenge go to www.millionmomschallenge.com.
The Million Moms Challenge is part of the year-long global health series “Be the Change: Save a Life,” which is sponsored in part by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.