See the Impressive Winning Images of Adorable, Somber and Commanding Canines From the 2026 Dog Photography Awards

The annual Dog Photography Awards, which celebrates the talents of international photographers and their canine companions, have chosen their 2026 winners amid stiff—and very lovable—competition. Roughly 1,900 entries from 50 different countries were considered for the contest’s six categories: studio; action; documentary; dogs and people; outdoor portrait; and an “open” catchall that encourages boundary-pushing frames and experimental techniques. First-, second-, and third-place winners for each group were selected by a professional jury, and organizers conducted interviews with category champions to explore their themes and inspiration.

One outstanding photographer was honored with the competition’s top overall prize of about $800, a commemorative trophy and a spotlight in the awards’ annual book. Here are some of our favorite prize-winning compositions. Katie Brockman, a photographer based in St.

Louis who specializes in pet portraiture, took home this year’s top overall prize for her image of Caldwell the pitbull. The portrait, titled Loved and Hated, sought to shed light on pitbulls’ complicated existence. Historically isolated and bred for fighting, the breed has earned a reputation for being inherently dangerous and mean—which has made finding homes for those in shelters difficult—though dog advocates have long worked to debunk this misconception.

In Brockman’s portrait, Caldwell wears a newspaper crown and collar featuring divisive headlines about his breed. He is pulled in one direction by a chain and in another by a helping human hand. The photographer was a volunteer dog walker at the shelter Caldwell was transferred to when he was just 2 years old.

Because her apartment building had a restriction on “bully breeds,” Brockman could not adopt him. As a result, she made the “totally normal and rational move,” she says, to buy a house “specifically so I could adopt him.” This year’s action-category winner features Ori the Australian Shepherd, a world-championship-contending frisbee dog, in heated pursuit of the disc. Photographer Nika Kuplenk Golobič chose a well-lit, snowy landscape and crouched beneath Ori’s owner, who held the frisbee above the camera, setting up the intense eye-level shot.

I’m very grateful that she helped me create this shot while also making sure I stayed safe!” Sarah Ebner’s Close, the winner of the dogs-and-people category, is an emotional self-portrait with her pet Koda. Taken during sunrise in a place the pair travels to every year, absence defines the frame: “Close” captures the first visit without Faye, Ebner’s late dog, who passed away last year and inspired her foray into dog photography. In my heart, she was there with us.” The outdoor portrait category is the competition’s most popular, and this year’s winning image is a masterclass of composition.