The wait is nearly over - the 12 cuties who have reached the final of Kids Galore 2011 will be featured in Friday's Medway Messenger.

We received thousands of votes by post and text for the 500 children who were entered into this year's competition.

Counting them was a big job, but we will reveal the dozen finalists in Friday's paper.

The three children with the most votes in each of the four age groups have made it and now it is down to the judges who have the tough task of choosing the winner of each group as well as the overall winner.

There is a record prize fund of £4,000 put up by competition sponsors Hempstead Valley Shopping Centre.

The winners will be announced at a presentation ceremony at Hempstead Valley next month.

All the finalists will be notified of the exact details.

Don't miss your copy of Friday's Medway Messenger to see the finalists!