Winners of Dog Photography Awards Show Off Their Love of Dogs with Incredible Images

Every year, photographers from around the world submit their incredible pictures of dogs to compete in the Dog Photography Awards. The competition celebrates the art of dog photography and gives photographers a chance to “showcase their talent and love for dogs.” And do they ever!

The winners from the 2023 Dog Photography Awards highlight dogs in all their diversity. Whether the dog is jumping into the water or climbing a stack of wood, rocking a tutu or striking a model’s pose, these photos will have you mesmerized.

Portrait and Landscape

1st place – Ascending Serenity by Sanna Sander (Sweden)
“In the right light even the most mundane place emits magic,” says photographer Sanna Sander. “I had the idea of this image in my mind for quite some time, driving past the log stack every day on my way to drop the kids of at school. And finally, on our way home from school one day, I stopped the car and asked my azawakh girl Soleil to hold the pose for a moment while I took the photo.”

2nd place – Serene Snowfall by Grace Fieselman
“Nala, the Australian Shepherd, relaxing on a quiet backroad in the beautiful snowfall,” describes Grace Fieselman.

3rd place – monochromatic illusion by Sanna Sander (Sweden)
“On a silent morning when the last snow of the winter was melting the fog rolled over the meadows and the trees stretched into the sky, begging the sun to return. …In the stillness she posed, watching the winter slowly leaving and making way for spring.”

Action

1st place – 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.”

2nd place – Moment of Entry by Roberta Holden (Canada)
“I have become fascinated by the dynamic interplay between air, water and light in turbulence as water is suddenly displaced at the moment of impact as a dock-diving dog enters the water. This split second event conjured for me the feeling of falling through ice or being suddenly transported into an alternate realm.”

3rd place – Catch it by Anne-Laurie Léger (Canada)
“Everything there was out of this world. The sunset was absolutely beautiful and the water was so still that it created some crazy reflections.”

Studio

1st place – Ballerina in the studio by Anna Averianova (Montenegro)

2nd place – Puppy Love by Tuss Bennergård (Sweden)
“Three weeks old Great dane puppies. Photo is taken with studio lights at the breeders home.”

3rd place – Let’s Dance by Carla Gea Perales (Spain)
“Relying on spontaneity in photography allows me to experience positive surprises and unexpected results.”

Dogs and People

1st place – 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.”

2nd place – Facing the Immensity Together by Emma Gough
“In a world where life can be immense and overwhelming, just like the vast nature of the ocean, we can turn to mans best friend for companionship and support to face the immensity together.”

3rd place – Timber’s Tribute by Jane Thomson
“Portrait of Katie + Timber”

Finalists

Here are a selection of other finalists in this year’s competition.

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.”

Anne-Laurie Léger (Canada) – “Just a Border Collie flying for his frisbee. The dog did a back vault, jumping from his owner’s back.”

Stine Grind (Sweden) – “Exploring the big world.”

Renate Zuidema (Netherlands) – “Shiba Inu Dai just glitters in the gold of the golden hour.”

Kyle Rurak (Canada) – “Ruby running with Momma at Spanish Banks, Vancouver, Canada.”

贺 华培 / HeHuaPei (China) – “Happy day.”

Klaus-Peter Selzer (Germany) – “Our friend Michelle’s dog – Strolchi – in my photo studio.”

Desiree Nickerson (Canada) – “Josee coming in fast to catch her favourite ball.”

Alessandro Grandoni (Italy) – “Il volo di Guess, una fantastica cucciola di bassotto.”

Celine Robel (Germany) – “This photo shows the cheeky toy poodle Motte. Being very litte but high energy, she was almost too fast for the eyes, but not too fast for the camera. As you can see, Motte really enjoyed her time in the sand romping around.”

Iulia Tulcinscaia (Poland) – Sherry the Beagle. “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.”

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.”

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.”

Rachel Hendrie (UK) – “This is Henry! At the time he was only 10 weeks old and the new love of my life. We were having fun playing around my studio (as I couldn’t wait to photograph him) when he started getting sleepy and curled up in his bed and I thought it best just to let him be. Not much has changed since. This portrait just captures him perfectly as he has never quite got out of the napping habit!”

Michelle Dawkins (United States) – “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…”

Jane Thomson (Canada) – “Portrait of Ebony on a windy day.”

Michelle Dawkins (United States) – “Red the cattle dog mix flying through the water at sunset.”

Kyle Rurak (Canada) – “Having some fun in studio with Ziggy, a dog we were sitting, and my neice Josslyn.”

Melanie Rösen (Germany) – “The clolors of the labradors matched perfectly with the dark stair background. The orange highlights make the models shine.”

Audrey Bellot, Founder of the he Dog Photography Awards wrote of this year’s finalists, “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.”

Be sure to visit Dog Photography Awards to learn more about the annual competition, submit your own and take a look at more amazing dog photographs.