In the frame

How do children of various ages see their male heroes? Our competition, held to mark National Childcare Week, reveals their feelings and talents. Liz Roberts reports

Fathers were top of the league, beating David Beckham into second place, when children were asked to draw or paint their male hero in this year's National Childcare Week art competition run by Nursery World, the Daycare Trust and Bright Horizons Family Solutions.

The under-fives were particularly keen to portray Dad as their number one man, for playing with them, loving them and hugging them. 'My hero is my daddy because he goes to work,' said one, while another mentioned being allowed to eat 'chocolate penguin biscuits', and one sagely remarked, 'My hero is my dad because... my mum says no, my dad says yes.'

Grandfathers, brothers, family and friends also featured heavily among the nearly 700 entries received. David Beckham was the most popular footballer across all age groups, with Michael Owen as his nearest rival. Gareth Gates was top of the pops for his voice, hair and earning power. 'Without him singing I will lose my faith in music,' said one 11-year-old. Fictional superheroes Superman, Spiderman and Batman were also popular, along with boy wizard Harry Potter.

The under-fives went for TV and film characters such as Bob the Builder, Fireman Sam and Aladdin, while the five-to-tens picked Sharukh Khan, Thomas Edison, Bart Simpson and Eminem, and the 11-plus group admired James Bond and Leonardo DiCaprio.

Picking the winners was a tough task for the judges Liz Roberts, editor of Nursery World, Stephen Burke and Leona Walsh from the Daycare Trust, Susan Hay of Bright Horizons Family Solutions and Denise Freedland from Peterborough Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership.

Prizes of games and vouchers for the winning children and gift vouchers for their carers were due to be awarded tomorrow (Friday, 13 June) by Baroness Blackstone, minister for the arts, at the IMAX cinema on London's South Bank. The ceremony will be followed by a screening of the film 'Pulse'. Winning entries will be displayed at the IMAX during June.

Top 12 male heroes

1 Dad
2 David Beckham
3 Friend
4 Grandfather
5 Gareth Gates
6 Spiderman
7 Superman
8 Childcarer
9 Harry Potter
10 Brother
11 Batman
12 Michael Owen

Under-fives

First prize
Lauren Spence, age 41/2, First Class Nursery, Edinburgh 'I love Gareth Gates very much and my mum likes him too. He sings nice songs.'

Second prize
Arran Fraiser, age 41/2, First Class Nursery, Edinburgh 'I love my daddy when he gives me big hugs when he drops me off at nursery'

Third prize
Charlotte Graham, age 41/2, Highgate Nurseryworks, London 'I drew Simon because I love Simon' (nursery worker)

Five to ten

First prize
Sonia Sethi, age 8, Wexham Park Hospital, Slough 'Dr Sankey is my male hero because he is mending my leg, because I am in traction. I have broken my femur. He is very friendly.'

Second prize
Leanne Grisbrooke, age 8, Cuddesdon Family Centre, Oxford 'My dad is my hero because he makes me laugh. He loves me loads and I love him too. When he picks me up from school he takes me to the park. He cooks dinner, he washes up after we have had our dinner. He's a burping expert and blows off a lot. He is a champion and he supports ... Arsenal.'

Third prize
Georgina Coles, age 8, Learning Tree, Preston 'Lemar is my hero because he sings and I really like music and I definitely like Lemar. You think he is not going to make the note but he does - that is why I like him.'

Eleven and over

First prize
Kimberly Macharia, age 11, Parkstone Kids Club, Hull 'I have chosen Kim (my brother) to be my hero because I look up to him and he's the best at basketball.'

Second prize
Anthony Gallery, age 15, Barnado's Chorley Families Project for families with a disabled child, Lancashire 'David Beckham - my hero'

Third prize
Russell Selby, age 12, Four Leaf Club, Ashton-under-Lyne 'John Amaechi is my hero because he is one of the few England basketball players to make it big in the National Basketball Association in America. He comes back to England and runs camps for young basketball players.'