The 2023 Dog Photography Awards Has Revealed Its Winners And Finalists

The third annual Dog Photographer of the Year Awards has concluded, revealing 12 winners and 48 finalists. Competing in four categories – Portrait and Landscape, Action, Studio, and Dogs and People – photographers showcased their talents and skills in capturing our four-legged friends.

This year's prizes include 2000€ in cash, as well as photo gear from Sabatini, Manfrotto, and Profoto, an engraved trophy, fine art prints, and the DPA Annual Book by Celebra.

Scroll down to see the captivating photographs and learn more about this year's winners!

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15 PHOTOS

#1 Finalist, Studio: "Wired Hair" By Chloé Brown  

United Kingdom

"Sootie and Freya. A Romanian rescue and Therapy dog - capturing their kind personalities in the studio."

The first edition of the Dog Photographer of The Year Awards (DPA) took place in 2021. According to one of the founders of DPA, Audrey Bellot, the response was amazing as well as the level of the entered images in each category. "We [Audrey Bellot and Claudio Piccoli] decided to create this contest first of all because we are dog photographers ourselves, and this helps a lot in judging the pictures knowing what’s correct and what’s not."

#2 3rd Place, Dogs And People: "Timber's Tribute" By Jane Thomson

#3 Finalist, Studio: "The Leia Organa Look" By Tina Stahl

Germany

"The dachshund, called 'Maddie', was so in love with the treats, then this really funny snapshot originated and makes her look like Princess Leia."

The aim of DPA is to recognize and celebrate the best dog photography worldwide, highlighting the wide variety of dogs and the artistic skills of the photographers who photograph them.

For this 2023 edition, the contest has received 1440 entries from more than 50 different countries!

#4 Finalist, Action: "Fly High In The Sky" By Anne-Laurie Léger

Canada

"Just a Border Collie flying for his frisbee. The dog did a back vault, jumping from his owner's back."

#5 Finalist, Action: "Wave Jumper" By Michelle Dawkins

United States

"Taken with the Nikon Z8. The conditions were perfect, calm water, beautiful sky, and the tide was low. That all changed very quickly as the weather pattern changed. High winds came in out of nowhere and so did the crazy waves. This did not stop Lotti from enjoying her time running, jumping, and chasing her ball into the water. She flew with incredible speed and power through the waves to get her ball, while I was watching the waves from the corner of my eye, lifting my camera up and down to avoid the water, while tracking her movement. A fun and exciting time photographing this amazing dog."

The panel of judges for this year's competition included:

• Audrey Bellot and Claudio Piccoli, the founders of the awards.
• Travis Patenaude, a studio photographer based in the United States.
• Iza Łysoń, a 25-year-old dog photographer from Poland and an ambassador for the 500px photography website.
• Heike Willers, an experimental dog photographer from Germany.
• Christina Lauder, a multi-award-winning dog photographer from Canada.
• Emilio Cuenca, a dog photographer from Spain.
• #6 Finalist, Studio: "Vitamin Ball" By Iulia Tulcinscaia

#6 Finalist, Studio: "Vitamin Ball" By Iulia Tulcinscaia

Poland

"When you're out grocery shopping for your family, maybe you can put a can of cat or dog food in your cart and bring it to an animal relief center."

Rachael Ray

Model: Beagle Sherry

#7 Finalist, Action: "Poodle Jump" By Celine Robel

“The Dog Photography Awards has once again showcased the remarkable talent within the world of dog photography. Witnessing emerging artists capture the essence of canine beauty with their stunning imagery remains the standout event of the year,” Audrey Bellot shared.

#8 Finalist, Action: "Sharing Is Funny" By Rut Casanellas

Spain

"When the family told me that Harry and Cooper could do this trick, I couldn't believe it! After that, one of the owners threw a stick far from us in the path and both came back with the stick while running at the same time."

#9 Finalist, Action: "Through The Snow" By Paula Grekelä

Finland

"Beautiful Elsa had a good hair day even sprinting through the heavy snow."

Emilio Cuenca, one of the judges, shared that being part of the Dog Photography Awards jury has been an enriching experience for him. "Being able to give your view, through your knowledge, in dog photography of the work of great artists is a responsibility but it is also beautiful. Grateful to the Dog Photography Awards team for considering me a professional with enough level to be part of the jury of this wonderful canine photography contest. The level of this contest has been very high and we have been able to enjoy the talent of many dog photographers.”

#10 1st Place, Dogs And People: "Caravaggio Today" By Mercury Megaloudis

Australia

"New and the old Inspired by Caravaggio the artist and new trends in steampunk with the love of dogs all in the studio."

#11 1st Place, Action: "Stop Your Motion" By Jacqueline Rüdiger

Germany

"Have you ever seen a dog, or even better a sighthound, running in pure joy? You see the power, the play of the muscles, and the perfect anatomy for running fast. In this picture, I wanted to show the speed of this dog and capture it, but at the same time freeze the motion to show the anatomy of this beautiful dog. To get it you need a perfect timing of all components involved. The dog, the lights, and for sure me as the photographer. The result is a stunning composition reduced to the only important thing, the dog."

“Grading all the 1400 or so works is really challenging, however, it is also an honor and a pleasure. It was an opportunity for me to see hundreds of amazing pictures. The level of the submitted photos this year was really high, which did not help me with casting my votes, but I am really happy that, with all the other judges, we managed to choose the truly best piece of art. I would like to congratulate all of the winners and I cannot wait for the next editions," Iza Łysoń, an official DPA judge, said.

#12 Finalist, Portrait And Landscape: "Seeing Double" By Katie Brockman

United States

"Urban photography: Finding beauty in the mundane."

#13 Finalist, Dogs And People: "Momma's Girl" By Kyle Rurak

Canada

"Ruby running with Momma at Spanish Banks, Vancouver, Canada."

#14 Finalist, Studio: "Grey Old Love" By Jessica Olsen Eriksson

Sweden

"I wanted to capture the love and respect these two senior Weimaraner dogs have for each other. They are now 11 and 9 years old and have always been together. Grey Old Love never rots."

#15 Finalist, Action: "Red" By Michelle Dawkins

United States

"Red the cattle dog mix flying through the water at sunset."