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These are the winning shots from the world’s biggest pet photo competition
The world’s biggest pet photography competition saw thousands of submissions this year, ranging from dogs and cats to lizards and livestock. In its seventh year, the 2025 International Pet Photography Awards drew submissions featuring a variety of animals from all over the world. Here are some of the highlights.
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The annual contest crowned photographer Katie Brockman as 2025 International Pet Photographer of the Year for a submitted portfolio that included images of her own dog and several foster pets.
© Copyright 2025 Katie Brockman.
In a statement, Brockman said one of her motivations for entering the contest was to encourage others to consider fostering or adopting a rescue animal.
© Copyright 2025 Katie Brockman.
The annual contest included an action category, allowing photographers to showcase skill and pet personality through photos that included movement.
© Copyright 2025 Shandess Griffin
The winner of each category, like the winning submission to the canine portrait category shown here, received US$250 and a trophy, organizers said.
© Copyright 2025 Janneke De Graaf (JJ de Graaf)
In addition to the cash and trophy, category winners were awarded a year’s membership to online photography education platforms. Pictured is an image from the winner for feline portraits.
© Copyright 2025 Mirka Koot
While "pet photography" might evoke images of dogs and cats, organizers received submissions of creatures of all sorts, including reptiles, rodents, and more. They’ve created a category specifically for equine portraits.
© Copyright 2025 Renate Zuidema
Organizers received 4,011 entries from photographers in 45 countries this year. Pictured is an image from the winner of the category for photos of pets and people.
© Copyright 2025 Petra Nestelbacher
© Copyright 2025 Renate Zuidema
The contest included a “creative category” that allowed photographers to showcase their image shooting and editing techniques, deviating from standard pet photography. Pictured is an image from overall winner Katie Brockman, who also won this category.
© Copyright 2025 Mirka Koot
A call for documentary-inspired submissions prompted photographer Emma Boyle to submit this and other shots from Istanbul, where she described witnessing a “special relationship with stray cats and dogs.” In a news release, Boyle said her photos are an attempt to demonstrate how humans and stray animals co-exist respectfully in the major Turkish city.
© Copyright 2025 Emma Boyle (Emma Gough/Emma Gough Photography)
The documentary category required animals to be pictured in real situations such as shelter or rescue organizations, on the job, competing in sports or other non-staged settings. Pictured is an image from a finalist in the category.
© Copyright 2025 Nicole Hrustyk (Nicole Hrustyk 702-358-3298)
Organizers said approximately two-thirds of entries earned some type of award, “which really highlights the standard of images being entered.”
© Copyright 2025 Andrea Wafler
The vast majority of submissions were photos of dogs, but organizers noted many other species, including a couple of unicorns.
© Copyright 2025 Renate Zuidema
Among this year’s changes were measures to ensure artificial intelligence was not used. Organizers required raw or original capture files to be submitted with entries for this reason.
© Copyright 2025 Barbara Cesari
The International Pet Photography Awards are open to all photographers – professional and amateur. “Pet” was defined, according to the awards’ website, as “a domesticated species or an animal that is kept for companionship or pleasure.
© Copyright 2025 Adam Wyatt (Adam Wyatt)