2026 Pet Portrait Contest
About my contest:
Ever since I began drawing I’ve had a pet portrait contest at the beginning of the year. The winner will receive a 9” x 12” graphite or colored pencil portrait of their dear furry, scaly or feathery pet totally free (including shipping to the continental USA).
How these were selected:
***Each participant emailed their entry by 2/14/2026
***All the finalists were judge using a photography rubric using focus, exposure, composition, and concept/idea.
***The Finalists were notified by email; voting begins automatically at 6 a.m. on Saturday, 2/21/26 and will end on midnight on Saturday, 2/28/26.
***Vote by hitting the VOTE NOW button.
I am amazed at the quality of the photos you send. Selecting the winner has become more difficult with each year. Mabel on her mom's therapy couch was last year’s winner. Isn’t she great?
Helpful hints for success:
1) Follow the instructions on the HOW TO page of my website for how to take the best photo. Please, no copyrighted photos.
2) Zoom in on the photo you’ve selected to see if the most important parts (eyes/nose, etc) are in focus. Blurring of the outside of the animal is just fine—almost like the portrait mode on your camera. The winning photo of Moose in 2022 was taken that way. An interesting background or different pose might make your entry stand out! Choose that photo that makes people pause and look again.
3) Is the entire image that would need to be included in the portrait actually in the picture? The winning portrait will most likely not be missing an ear...
