The International Pet Photography Awards Reveal This Year’s Winners

Matt Growcoot
Three photos: a rabbit sitting in a paint can labeled "BUNNY PAINT"; a dog peeking through a black curtain; a dog standing in a sunlit doorway, looking up towards the light.
Photo credit: Katie Brockman, left and center, Frankie Adamson, right.

The International Pet Photography Awards has revealed its winners, with Katie Brockman taking home the top prize for her creative portfolio.

Brockman’s dog, Cadwell, has been her best model since she began photography a few years ago, but she also works with foster animals. Her images were all in-camera captures, aside from the “mischievous bunny who is part of a series I’ve been working on for the last couple of years, featuring animals with unique markings.”

2025 International Pet Photographer of the Year

Black cat photographed from below, with its head tilted upward and prominent whiskers fanned out against a plain white background.
© Copyright 2025 Katie Brockman
A black and white rabbit sits inside an open paint can labeled "BUNNY PAINT," with gray paint dripping from its ear and the can. A puddle of paint is on the ground nearby.
© Copyright 2025 Katie Brockman
A portrait of a gray adult cat with yellow eyes and three gray kittens, all with varying eye colors, posing closely together against a dark background. The adult cat is sticking its tongue out.
© Copyright 2025 Katie Brockman
A white and tan dog poses inside a vintage, brown-framed picture adorned with ivory flowers and greenery on two corners, set against a dark background.
© Copyright 2025 Katie Brockman
A white dog with light eyes looks out through a dark, sheer curtain, with its head and one ear poking through an opening in the fabric, creating a dramatic and mysterious atmosphere.
© Copyright 2025 Katie Brockman

In total. there were 4,011 entries from 45 different countries. This year, categories were expanded to include more sub-genres of pet photography.

The eight categories for 2025 were: Action, Canine, Portrait, Creative, Documentary, Equine Portrait, Feline Portrait, Open Portrait and Pets and People.

A wide variety of pets were included in the images, with dogs being the most popular. Entries were comprised of 3,232 dogs, 319 cats, 303 horses and many others including pigs, cows, chickens, parrots, lizards, snakes, frogs, rabbits, ferrets, goldfish and even a couple of unicorns.

Each category winner receives a prize of $250 USD and a trophy as well as a year’s membership to online photography education platforms Unleashed Education and the Professional Photography Business Network.

The overall winner receives $500 USD and a trophy, plus mentoring with Unleashed Education and the Professional Photography Business Network.

Action Category Winner

A brown and white dog walks along a wet beach at sunset, with distant birds flying over the ocean and an island visible on the horizon under a cloudy sky.
© Copyright 2025 Shandess Griffin
A golden retriever leaps off a wooden dock into a dark, calm lake, with water droplets spraying around and forest trees blurred in the background.
© Copyright 2025 Shandess Griffin
A wet dog stands upright on its hind legs in a shallow lake at sunrise, with water droplets splashing and a misty mountain landscape in the background.
© Copyright 2025 Shandess Griffin

Documentary Category Winner

A large dog lies curled up and sleeping on a sidewalk at night, surrounded by blurred legs of people walking past in a busy urban setting. The scene is in black and white.
For her documentary project, Emma Boyle captured the stray animals of Istanbul, Turkey. © Copyright 2025 Emma Boyle
A lonely dog lies on a city sidewalk at night, resting its head on the ground near a building. A cart and a person are visible in the background, and the scene is dimly lit with a somber mood.
© Copyright 2025 Emma Boyle
A tabby cat sits on a bush at night, looking directly at the camera. The background is out of focus, featuring city lights and buildings, creating a dramatic, moody scene in black and white.
© Copyright 2025 Emma Boyle

Equine Portrait Category Winner

A small brown pony stands in shallow water at sunset, with gentle waves around its legs and a glowing sky in the background.
© Copyright 2025 Renate Zuidema
Two brown horses with light manes stand on a snowy path, surrounded by bare trees in a winter landscape. The taller horse is next to a smaller one, possibly a pony. Both appear relaxed and calm.
© Copyright 2025 Renate Zuidema
A tan mare stands in a grassy field while her light-colored foal nurses, with a soft, cloudy sky in the background. The scene appears calm and peaceful.
© Copyright 2025 Renate Zuidema

Canine Portrait Category Winner

Three brown and white Basenji puppies sit together on a green mid-century modern chair, facing the camera with alert expressions, against an olive green background.
© Copyright 2025 Janneke De Graaf
A brown and white dog sits against a blue background, seen through a circular frame on a brown surface. The dog looks slightly to the side with one ear upright and the other flopped over.
© Copyright 2025 Janneke De Graaf
A brown and white dog stands on a mossy stump in a lush, green forest, looking up with its nose raised, surrounded by dense foliage and tall trees.
© Copyright 2025 Janneke De Graaf

Feline Portrait Category Winner

A long-haired gray cat with bright yellow eyes lies on a surface surrounded by tufts of its own gray fur, against a plain gray background.
© Copyright 2025 Mirka Koot
A fluffy orange cat with a flower on its head sits next to a white vase filled with purple and white flowers on a wooden surface, with more flowers scattered around. The background is softly lit and brown.
© Copyright 2025 Mirka Koot
A fluffy gray cat lies on a wooden surface beside a vintage radio, while a blackbird with a yellow beak perches on top of the radio. The background is plain and dark, drawing attention to the cat and bird.
© Copyright 2025 Mirka Koot

Pets and People Category Winner

A woman in a wetsuit and a black-and-white dog sit together on a pink surfboard at the rocky shoreline, gazing at the calm sea during sunset.
© Copyright 2025 Petra Nestelbacher
A person with a surfboard stands near a leafless tree at sunset, with sunlight streaming through the branches, creating a serene and peaceful scene on grassy terrain.
© Copyright 2025 Petra Nestelbacher
A person stands on a grassy mountain ridge at sunrise with two dogs, overlooking a range of rugged peaks bathed in golden light and mist.
© Copyright 2025 Petra Nestelbacher

Open Portrait Category Winner

A close-up of a coiled white snake with smooth, shiny scales and black eyes, set against a plain white background.
© Copyright 2025 Ellen Reus
A pale, white ball python with faint beige markings is coiled up on a white reflective surface, facing forward against a plain white background.
© Copyright 2025 Ellen Reus
A gold snake coils around a Moët & Chandon champagne bottle, with its head emerging from the bottle’s opening. A filled champagne glass and a cork lie beside the bottle, all set against a dark blue-black background.
© Copyright 2025 Ellen Reus

A couple of years ago, PetaPixel reported on the criticism received by the International Pet Photographer of the Year Awards for allowing judges to enter and win prizes.

However, that rule has since changed and judges can no longer be finalists or win categories anymore. They can still enter to receive feedback from their peers.

Selections from the Top 100

Four dogs—a yellow labrador, a chocolate labrador, a black labrador, and a cream-colored spaniel—run together through snow, with trees blurred in the background and snowflakes falling.
© Copyright 2025 Fiona Lovett
A person in outdoor gear is being airlifted by a helicopter, suspended high above snowy mountains under a clear blue sky.
© Copyright 2025 Craig Turner-Bullock
A small tan dog curled up and resting on a bright yellow armchair against a dark background.
© Copyright 2025 Carolyn Bray
A realistic pigeon stands on dark, sculpted roses with two small bird figurines below, set against a dark wood background adorned with ornate gold decorations in the corners and center.
© Copyright 2025 Belinda Richards
A young child with red hair and freckles looks seriously at the camera, while a small orange kitten with similar coloring sits on their shoulder against a dark wooden background.
© Copyright 2025 Jaana Vuola
A slender brown dog stands on sandy ground with the Taj Mahal and trees in the misty background.
© Copyright 2025 Craig Turner-Bullock
A dog stands on a rocky, snow-dusted mountain ledge, overlooking a sea of clouds at sunrise, with sunlight illuminating the sky and casting a golden glow on the landscape.
© Copyright 2025 Denisa Albaniova
A black dog’s nose and mouth peeking out from a pile of roasted coffee beans, surrounded closely on all sides by the beans.
© Copyright 2025 Denisa Albaniova
A cute brown and white corgi stands on a surface, tilting its head in front of a colorful, vertical striped background that creates a vibrant, radiant effect behind the dog.
© Copyright 2025 Celine Hagelauer
A grid of ten black-and-white photos shows different dog and cat breeds sitting with their backs to the camera, highlighting their tails. The title reads “Tails of the Canis Familiaris” in the center.
© Copyright 2025 Belinda Richards
A curly-haired dog stands on frosty ground, looking up at three birds flying near a bare tree against a misty, white background.
© Copyright 2025 Anna Bittner-Dahms
A white bull terrier stands on a smooth floor in a bright, geometric corridor with repeating diagonal white beams, creating a modern and minimalist background.
© Copyright 2025 Monica van der Maden
A black and white portrait of a Boxer dog looking slightly to the right, with a serious expression and soft lighting highlighting its face and upper body against a dark background.
© Copyright 2025 Stephanie Dalman
A brown and white foal with a fluffy mane runs energetically through a field of yellow wildflowers, with a dark, blurred background of trees.
© Copyright 2025 Rhea Nellen
A fluffy Pomeranian dog with a thick orange and cream coat stands on rocks outdoors at sunset, with trees and a glowing sky in the background.
© Copyright 2025 Cindy Mayes
A husky dog lies on the hood of an old, rusty car parked on a dirt path, with a vibrant field of pink flowers and green forest in the background.
© Copyright 2025 Jennifer McNichol
A fluffy white dog stands on a rocky outcrop by a calm lake, howling with its head raised. Misty mountains and low-hanging clouds are visible in the background, creating a serene, wild atmosphere.
© Copyright 2025 Andrea Wafler
A brown and white dog stretches its long tongue towards a tilted jar of honey dripping off the edge of a table against a dark background.
© Copyright 2025 Emma Steel
A lone wildebeest walks across smooth, golden sand dunes under a pale sky at dusk, with the moon visible above the horizon.
© Copyright 2025 Malva Hellman
Three dogs leap off a wooden dock into a calm, golden-lit lake, captured mid-jump with splashes in the water ahead, surrounded by a misty, serene atmosphere at sunrise or sunset.
© Copyright 2025 Shandess Griffin
A long-haired dog runs quickly across a grassy area, its fur flowing in the wind. The background is blurred, emphasizing the motion and energy of the dog.
© Copyright 2025 Polona Zeleznikar
A formal portrait of two dogs and a cat: one light-colored dog with a black bow tie sits on a stool, a dark dog with a pearl necklace lounges on a green armchair, and a cat wearing a crown sits on a suitcase in front of them.
© Copyright 2025 Belinda Richards

For all the runners and riders, head to the International Pet Photography Awards website.

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