The International Pet Photography Awards 2025 has announced its winners, celebrating the world's most captivating pet photography from a record-breaking competition. With over 4,000 submissions from 45 countries, this year's contest represents the largest professional pet photography competition globally, showcasing an extraordinary diversity of subjects and creative excellence that captured the essence of furry, feathered, and scaled companions.
This year's expanded competition featured eight distinct categories: Action, Canine, Feline, Equine, Portrait, Documentary, Creative, and Animals & People. The broader scope allowed photographers to highlight everything from touching moments of companionship to the most daring artistic compositions. While dogs remained the undisputed stars with over 3,200 submissions, the 2025 edition welcomed an unexpected menagerie including cats, horses, chickens, pigs, parrots, snakes, lizards, frogs, and even some imagined unicorns.
Katie Brockman claimed the grand prize of International Pet Photographer of the Year, earning $500 for her exceptional portfolio. Her sensitive and inventive work prominently features her own dog Caldwell, who has served as her faithful muse since she began photography, alongside numerous rescue animals she has welcomed into her home. Her winning collection includes a playful rabbit with distinctive markings, a litter of kittens under their mother's watchful eye, and striking graphic portraits of mischievous cats that perfectly capture their unique personalities.
Among the other notable winners, Ellen Reus took top honors in the newly introduced Open Portrait category with a stunning studio photograph featuring two pythons in a mesmerizing optical illusion. Her image challenged conventional expectations and demonstrated that even less traditionally "cute" animals can shine in artistic compositions, proving the versatility and creative potential of pet photography.
Beyond the monetary rewards—each category winner receives $250, a trophy, and a one-year subscription to two professional platforms—the 2025 International Pet Photography Awards presents a comprehensive panorama of contemporary animal photography. The competition celebrates the subtle beauty of interspecies bonds, photographers' technical creativity, and an increasingly rich perspective on the animals that share our daily lives, establishing new standards for artistic excellence in the field of professional pet photography.
