Mariehønen, a municipal daycare centre in the tiny village of Ølstrup near Ringkøbing in western Jutland, has kicked off a rather unique competition to supply the centre with more kids.

Dan Pedersen, the head of Mariehønen, has started a competition promising valuable prizes from places like Ønskebørn and Sportigan for the couple who  manage to give birth to a child closest to the contest winning date of 19 December 2016.

“If there are no children in these small communities, there is no kindergarten, after-school care or privates schools,” Pedersen told DR Nyheder. “Everything is connected, so without these things in the long-term, there is no community.”

Take your best shot
Pedersen said that the idea of the contest has been received positively. “It is all in good fun and reflects our community,” he said.

Marie Lembcke, a 27-year-old mother who already has one child at Mariehønen, said that she and her boyfriend intend on taking a shot at the prizes.

“We were already talking about having number two when we heard about the competition,” Lembcke said. “It would be fun to win, and I like the idea of bringing more children into small communities.”

Overshoot, though, and the couple could end up having a child close to Christmas or New Year, the dreaded time of year to have a birthday party that nobody ever comes to.