August 18, 2009, American Express in partnership with NBC/Universal decided to shine a light on small businesses with the launch of a contest designed to recognize their entrepreneurial spirit and resilience.

Each applicant was asked to detail its journey from inception to the present, providing examples of its ability to innovate, maintain a customer-first model, and adapt to economic challenges.

The deadline for submissions was September 13. Three judges, Ellen Degeneres, JJ Ramberg, and Diane Von Furstenberg were tasked with reviewing the submissions and identifying three finalists.

The winner will be selected by the general public from among the three finalists. Online voting is currently underway and ends October 14. The winner will be announced on October 19.

While the winner may be a small business, the prizes are anything but—a $50,000 grant and $50,000 worth of marketing support.

Finalists include Sacred Wind Communications, Inc., Happy Baby, and Beacon Paint and Hardware.

While I have no doubt that each of the candidates would be a worthy winner, I must admit, Baby Gooroo shares a common interest with Happy Baby—both are small, woman-owned businesses; both are working to ensure that babies everywhere are best-fed; and both care deeply about families and the challenges they face.

That being said, it should come as no surprise that I opted to cast my vote for Happy Baby. Moreover, I would like to encourage my fellow gooroos to do the same.

It’s not too late. You still have four days left. You won’t be sorry.  Think of it as casting your vote for all those who can’t vote—children.