The International Pet Photography Awards has announced its 2026 finalists, and the commended images capture scenes ranging from the downright adorable to outright bizarre, or hilarious, depending on how you look at it.
Now in its eighth year, the renowned awards celebrates pet photographers around the world, championing standard imagery as well as creative composite photos predominantly of cats, dogs, and horses, while prohibiting the use of generative AI.
The standout for me among this year’s overall competition Pet Photographer of the Year (PPOTY) finalists is Callie Soden’s depiction of her dog praying at a church altar as angelic light illuminates a stained-glass window. The image, which I believe is a composite – although this is yet to be confirmed by the competition organizers – is also commended in the Creative category.
Other finalists vying for the overall competition crown include Inge Heimensen’s cute yet story-driven scene of a chick standing among a line of eggs in eggcups, Mirka Koot’s unbelievable (potentially composite) shot of a friendly feline seemingly in conversation with a crow, as well as Katie Brockman’s Vogue-esque black-and-white profile of a stocky canine.
The overall finalists were chosen from images entered across the 12 different categories, with each category also crowning a winner. Kelly Borger’s funny frame of a dog contemplating crossing a rope bridge made the cut in the Documentary category, while Betty Brodie’s picture-perfect cat wandering a snow-covered landscape was commended in the Feline Portrait category.
This year’s competition drew over 4,000 entries from 48 countries across 12 categories, of which Commissioned Portfolio, In-Camera Artistry, Phone, and Studio were new for 2026. Photographers were allowed to submit photos to multiple categories, with category and overall PPOTY finalists chosen by combining scores of individual images.
The countdown to the awards ceremony, when the winners will be announced, is now on, with the event to be held over Zoom on August 1, 2026, at 6am AEST (that's July 30 4pm EST / 9pm BST). For more information, head to the International Pet Photographer of the Year Awards website.
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Katie Brockman was crowned the 2025 International Pet Photographer of the Year with a portfolio of creative images depicting her own dog and several foster animals. She’s also a finalist at the 2026 awards.
