6 Photo Contests All Animal Lovers Should Consider Entering

Most pet owners can’t resist taking pictures of their best friend, and let’s face it: animals are lot easier to shoot than people: they don’t complain about “making a funny face”, “looking fat” or “that stupid look”, and most require only a treat to pose for you. So get out the treat jar, camera and your furry special someone and have fun creating photos that will blow the competition away.

Here are six photo contests where you and your pet can gain fame and recognition and in several cases, help support great causes.

HSUS Spay Day Photo Contest

The Humane Society of the United States holds this contest every year, and the funds raised go to spaying and neutering. There is no entry fee, both professionals and amateurs are welcome, and you can enter as many photos as you want. There are two categories: “Judged”, where 11 winners are selected by a panel of celebrity judges, and “Fundraisers, where people get to vote for your photos by donating to a charity selected by you. The winners are the 500 pets with the most votes. Prizes include gift certificates, a photo session with famous photographer Amanda Jones, paintings of your pet, and more. The deadline is February 27, so you better get moving on this one. Or start shooting for next year’s competition.

Photo District News’ “Faces”

I’m not going to lie to you, competition is fierce in this prestigious contest (open to both pros and amateurs), but that makes winning so much sweeter, don’t you think? “Faces” is not all about animals; it’s a portrait competition where one of the categories is “Animal Portraits”. They are looking for single images or several photos (6 max) that make up a story, and you may submit as many images as you like. The entry fee is $35/image or $50/series, and the deadline is March 16 (although for an extra $10/image, you can enter until March 30). Some of the prizes are photo equipment (including a digital camera), a PhotoServe Portfolio (PDN’s online portfolio database), your photos in a gallery exhibit, and more.

Equine Ideal 2009 Contest

Open to both pros and amateurs, this contest, sponsored by the Equine Photographers Network, is obviously all about horses. There are 14 categories (7 pro and 7 amateur), and the cost to enter is $15/image. Prizes include photo equipment, membership in the Equine Photographers Network, canvas photo prints, and more. Entry deadline is March 20, and winners will be announced on May 11. This is an annual event, so if you miss it this year, keep your eyes open for the 2010 contest.

Pets & Pals Photo Contest

This annual contest has not been officially announced for 2009 yet, but I have been told that they are planning to start accepting submissions in June or July, and there will be six categories: Shelter Life, Petpourri, People & Pets, Down on the Farm, Dogs, and Cats. No word on the prizes yet, but if past years are any indication, generous cash prizes are the norm.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals’ Annual Contest

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) holds a yearly photo contest where the winning photo is printed of the cover of their magazine “Animal Watch”. In 2008, the theme of the competition was “About Face”, and the winner was a great picture of a cat seemingly eating his way through a box. No details are out about the 2009 contest yet, but check their website for updates. The contest proceeds help fund health care for injured and abused animals, so it’s a great opportunity to help a worthy cause, too.

Club Equestrian

As you have probably guessed from the name, this competition looks for images of horses. Club Equestrian is a free online community for horse lovers, and all you need to do to enter their monthly contests is to join. There is a different theme every month; January was “Best horse-related Winter/Holiday Photo”, and the February subject is ” Best Horse and His/Her Animal Buddies”. The deadline is February 19 (it’s always the 19th), one winner is selected based on votes by the other members, and the prize is a Troxel Reliance show helmet and helmet tote.

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4. Oil Paintings from Lovely Family Shots
5. Some Dog Lovers Use Twitter to Share Dog Info

Tagged with: animals • Cats • compete • competition • Dogs • horse • pets • photo contest • photography • prize • winner

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