From more than 1700 entries, the annual photography contest seeks to showcase the most exceptional dog photographs from across the globe. The competition's organisers say this year's contest revealed an extraordinary range of talent, capturing the beauty, diversity, and spirit of our canine companions.
This competition was founded by Audrey Bellot and Claudio Piccoli, two professional photographers driven by their passion for dogs.
While there is no overall winner, there are five categories in the competition – Portrait, Action, Studio, Dogs & People, and Documentary – and the winner of each receives a €500 ($824 AUD) cash prize plus an engraved trophy.
The winning images, along with the 2nd and 3rd placed images in each category, as well as a selection of honorable mentions, appear in the Dog Photography Awards Annual Book, which is available for pre-order for €39 ($64 AUD).
You can see all the category winners and runners-up below.
Regine Jensen, 1st Place, Action category, Moving in time.“Burst of Energy” by Anastasia Vetkovskaya. 2nd Place, Action“Floating” by Anne-Laurie Léger. 3rd Place, Action“Ready for take off!” by Rhea Nellen. 1st Place, Portrait. Every muscle in white shepherd 'Kooki' is ready! Any second now he's going to jump. At first we let Kooki just stand in front of the museum but he wanted to play. So his dogmum threw his frisbee into the air and I managed to capture this pose.“Hunted Architecture” by Lea Styger. 2nd Place, Portrait“Hot off the Press” by Sophia Hutchinson. 3rd Place, Portrait. This photo was taken in Leadenhall Market, a historic London landmark dating back to the 14th century, where it once thrived as a center for trading meat, poultry, and game. The Wirehaired Vizsla, known for its role as a hunting dog, finds its place amid the market's warm glow and rain-soaked cobblestones – reflecting the heritage of the breed and the market's rich past.John Fabiano, 1st Place, Documentary category. Greenlandic Flat Tyre. This photo was taken while traveling through a blizzard from Siorapaluk, the northernmost indigenous village in the world, to Qaanaaq, Greenland. We did not have a GPS, cell service, or the ability to communicate more than a few words in English. Our protection if we were to run into a polar bear was a rifle from 1940 and the fight within our 13 Greenlandic Huskies. We had to stop so my guide, Ilannguaq, could untangle the sled ropes. The dogs watched on and patiently waited until they could get back to doing their favorite thing in the world – running.“Safe” by An Di Prima. 2nd Place, Documentary. This is Santos, a podenco rescued by Hope For Podencos. I visited them in Albacete, Spain, as part of my book project on podencos. They are a horribly abused hunting dog breed in Spain. Every year, after the hunting season ends, thousands get dumped, and a few lucky ones are saved by rescue organizations such as Hope For Podencos. With my photography, I try to help as much as I can: together, we are stronger!“Follow your origin” by Angela Sulser. 3rd Place, Documentary“Metamorfosis canina” by Valeria Barbara and Barriera Cassina. 1st Place, Studio“Mila” by Donna Victor. 2nd Place, Studio“I see you” by Regine Jensen. 3rd Place, Studio“The Princess & The Pea” by Jane Thomson. 1st Place, Dogs & People. I wanted to bring children's fairy tale stories to life with my studio portraiture for the BC Children's Hospital Pet Therapy program calendar for 2025. Celebrating the strength of these incredibly brave young hospital patients, along with the beautiful dogs enrolled in the pet therapy program, was the most enriching project I have ever worked on.“Growing older together day by day, my dog is my reason to stay” by Ida Levin. 2nd Place, Dogs & People. This is 90-year-old Rune and his dog Hajen. Rune is a man with heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease due to his long work at a concrete factory, and his only happiness in life is his dog Hajen. If he loses Hajen he will probably die in a few days, since his life will lose all meaning and he'll give everything up. Their bond is so strong, and they really love each other.“Silent Connection” by Moa Näslund. 3rd Place, Dogs & People
