The most beautiful dog photos of 2026: according to a team of experts

The most beautiful dog photos of 2026: according to a team of experts

A small dog jumping through the snow towards the camera
1st place for the action category goes to Nika. Image credit: Nika Kuplenk Golobič / Dog Photography Awards

Image credit: Nika Kuplenk Golobič / Dog Photography Awards

Alex Hughes

The winners of the Dog Photography Awards 2026 have been announced. This year, the winning image goes to Katie Brockman, exploring the reputation of XL Bullies with a photo shot in a studio.

Other categories included outdoor portraits, action shots, dogs and people and more. For each category, there was a 1st place, 2nd place and 3rd place award.

Below you'll find the 3 top images for each category, or for more, check out the honourable mentions from the awards.

Overall winner - Katie Brockman

A dog wearing a crown and a metal lead while a hand holds its face
The overall winner. Image credit: Katie Brockman / Dog Photography Awards - Image credit: Katie Brockman / Dog Photography Awards

Outdoor portrait

1st place - Elena Marchi

A dog stood on a bridge looking off into the distance
The winner for the category of outdoor portraits. Image credit: Elena Marchi / Dog Photography Awards - Image credit: Elena Marchi / Dog Photography Awards

2nd place - Susan Lang

A dog stood looking off into the distance with a graffiti cat behind it on the wall
The 2nd place for portrait outdoor went to Susan Lang. Image credit: Susan Lang / Dog Photography Awards - Image credit: Susan Lang / Dog Photography Awards

3rd place - Kairi Laiapea

A dog stood in a wide expanse looking off into the distance
3rd place for outdoor portrait goes to Kairi Laiapea. Image credit: Kairi Laiapea / Dog Photography Awards - Image credit: Kairi Laiapea / Dog Photography Awards

Action

1st place - Nika Kuplenk Golobič

A small dog jumping through the snow towards the camera
1st place for the action category goes to Nika. Image credit: Nika Kuplenk Golobič / Dog Photography Awards - Image credit: Nika Kuplenk Golobič / Dog Photography Awards

2nd place - Gavriella Leon

A small dog playing with a ball on a beach.
2nd place for the action category goes to Gavriella Leon. Image credit: Gavriella Leon / Dog Photography Awards - Image credit: Gavriella Leon / Dog Photography Awards

3rd place - Linda Glomb

A dog jumping high into the air at night
The 3rd place for the action cateogry goes to Linda Glomb. Image credit: Linda Glomb / Dog Photography Awards - Image credit: Linda Glomb / Dog Photography Awards

Studio

1st place - Katie Brockman

A dog wearing a crown and a metal lead while a hand holds its face
The overall winner. Image credit: Katie Brockman / Dog Photography Awards - Image credit: Katie Brockman / Dog Photography Awards

2nd place - Jill Garrett

A dog with a cloud of smoke around its head
The 2nd place goes to Jill Garrett. Image credit: Jill Garrett / Dog Photography Awards - Image credit: Jill Garrett / Dog Photography Awards

3rd place - Belinda Richards

A row of dogs playing with a ball
3rd place for Studio went to Belinda Richards. Image credit: Bellinda Richards / Dog Photography Awards - Image credit: Bellinda Richards / Dog Photography Awards

Dogs and people

1st place - Sarah Ebner

A woman and a dog embracing n the Sun
1st place for the dogs and people category goes to Sarah Ebner. Image credit: Sarah Ebner / Dog Photography Awards - Image credit: Sarah Ebner / Dog Photography Awards

2nd place - Eco Lorka

A dog jumping in the air in front of its owner
The 2nd place for Dogs and people category goes to Eco Lorka. Image credit: Eco Lorka / Dog Photography Awards - Image credit: Eco Lorka / Dog Photography Awards

3rd place - Santos Román

A dog leaning over its owners shoulder looking at the camera
3rd place for the dogs and people category goes to Santos Román. Image credit: Santos Román / Dog Photography Awards - Image credit: Getty Images

Documentary

1st place - Tianhang Zhang

A group of dogs looking onwards from behind a cage
1st place for the documentary category goes to Tianhang Zhang. Image credit: Tianhang Zhang / Dog Photography Awards - Image credit: Tianhang Zhang / Dog Photography Awards

2nd place - Katie Gyltnes

A dog sledding adventure in northern Norway.
Katie Gyltnes took the second place for the documentary category. Image credit: Katie Gyltnes / Dog Photography Awards - Image credit: Katie Gyltnes / Dog Photography Awards

3rd place - Katie Gyltnes

A dog sledding trip to Norway.
Katie Gyltnes took 3rd place with an image from the same trip to Norway. Image credit: Katie Gyltnes / Dog Photography Awards - Image credit: Katie Gyltnes / Dog Photography Awards

Open

1st place - Elena Marchi

Two dogs staring at each other from either side of a pillar in black and white
Elena Marchi took first place for the Open category. Image credit: Elena Marchi / Dog Photography Awards - Image credit: Elena Marchi / Dog Photography Awards

2nd place - Callie Soden

A series of images of a dog with strings attached like a puppet
2nd place for the open category went to Callie Soden. Image credit: Callie Soden / Dog Photography Awards - Image credit: Callie Soden / Dog Photography Awards

3rd place - Tianhang Zhang

A dog swimming through a lake with large plants
3rd place went to Tianhang Zhang. Image credit: Tianhang Zhang / Dog Photography Awards - Image credit: Tianhang Zhang / Dog Photography Awards

Author avatar

Alex Hughes

Alex is the Digital Editor for Countryfile.com. He was previously found at its sister site BBC Science Focus. When he’s not obsessing over data and web content, Alex can be found in one of Bristol’s many climbing gyms or going for a long run.
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