In 2022, we relaunched our annual Dog of the Year photo competition in association with cottages.com to celebrate the dogs we love. We asked you to send in your favourite photo
of your dog – and we received an incredible 11,000 entries.
Readers and visitors to this site voted for the winners in each category and the overall winner was chosen by the BBC Countryfile Magazine editorial team and independent judge Tom Gilks.
The Dog of the Year 2022 photo competition is sponsored by cottages.com, which is offering vouchers to the winners to spend on a holiday cottage of their choice.
Thanks to everyone who everyone who entered and voted in this year's Dog of the Year photographic competition. Sadly, there can only be one winner...
Meet the winner of BBC Countryfile Magazine Dog of the Year 2022.
Congratulations to Star who is our Dog of the Year!
Grand prize
1. Star (Also winner of the Medium Dog category)
By Christopher Johnson
“Wow, I’m utterly thrilled, she really is a star! Star is such a happy dog, always smiling and enjoys every moment, she is the best model too. She will be expecting a huge treat for this.”
Runners-up
2. Big Dog, Boodle by Tracy Root
3. Working Dog
Toby by Kirsty Bevan
4. Small Dog
Little Boots by Dianne Crew-Gee
5. Rescue Dog
Ferg by Ben Skinner
How Dog of the Year works
This competition has now closed for 2022. Check back for details on Dog of the Year 2023.
We’ve relaunched our annual competition in association with cottages.com to celebrate the dogs we love. Simply enter your favourite photo of your dog, and you AND your four-legged companion could win a wonderful holiday courtesy of cottages.com.
Entries
We want to see high quality photos of dogs enjoying themselves outside – especially out in the countryside. Try to capture the character of your dog having fun and make your dog the focus of the image.
There are five categories that you can potentially enter. Big dog, Medium dog, Small dog are based on Kennel Club ratings for breeds so if you’re in any doubt as to which category your dog fits, then visit the Kennel Club A-Z of breeds to find out more.
We’ve also got a Working dog category for traditional country breeds as well as a Rescue dog category. You may enter your dog into two categories (eg, rescue dog and big dog) if appropriate.
Competition entries have now closed.
Voting
Each category will undergo a preliminary assessment round from an expert judging panel, including contributors to BBC Countryfile Magazine, to create a shortlist for each category. The judges will assess the images against a series of criteria, including quality of image, composition and originality. Once the top 10 dogs have been selected for each category by the judges, the public vote will open on 1st November to determine the winner in each category. The judging panel will then select a supreme champion Dog of the Year from the five category winners.
About the sponsor: cottages.com
Staycation specialist cottages.com is the UK’s leading provider of holiday properties and luxury homes and offers more than 22,000 places to stay across its unrivalled portfolio. The brand has more than 11,000 dog-friendly properties and treats more than 250,000 dogs to their favourite holiday each year.
Its diverse collection includes everything from city breaks and seaside escapes, to rural countryside retreats - all perfect for a UK getaway with your four-legged friend. cottages.com even has its own ‘More than dog-friendly’ collection, where many owners have gone the extra mile to accommodate your furry friend. These properties usually accept pets with no extra charge and have an enclosed garden for dogs to roam free, some even have an outdoor tap for post-beach bathing and provide a welcome pack with extra doggy treats. For more visit www.cottages.com
The prize
This year's Dog of the Year competition is proudly sponsored by cottages.com who are offering the following prizes:
- 1x Grand prize: £500 cottages.com voucher to fund a holiday for you and your four-legged friend. Valid until 31st December 2023.
- 4x Category prizes: £200 cottages.com voucher to fund a holiday for you and your four-legged friend. Valid until 31st December 2023.