Summary
- Katie Brockman was named Dog Photographer of the Year 2026 for “Loved and Hated.” The Dog Photography Awards awarded the top three places across six categories, from Portrait Outdoor and Action to Documentary and Open.
- No photographer from Greece appears among the 18 top-three positions.
- The winning images range from controlled studio portraits to action, human connection and documentary photography.
- The overall winner and the story behind “Loved and Hated”
- Portrait Outdoor: the dog within the environment
- Action: speed, flight and timing
- Studio: controlled light and concept
- Dogs & People: the relationship at the center
- Documentary: unscripted stories
- Open: visual freedom and storytelling
- What we think
- Frequently asked questions
The Dog Photography Awards 2026 named 18 photographs across six main categories, with Katie Brockman taking the overall title for “Loved and Hated.”
The top three in each category include photographers from Europe, the United States, Australia and Asia, with no Greek photographer among the 18 awarded positions. The selection ranges from controlled studio portraits and action frames to documentary photography and more open-ended visual approaches.
The overall winner and the story behind “Loved and Hated”
Katie Brockman was named Dog Photographer of the Year 2026 for “Loved and Hated,” which also took 1st place in Studio. The photograph features Caldwell, a dog Brockman adopted, and addresses the divided attitudes toward pit bulls and bully breeds.
The crown and gentle hand represent love and advocacy, while the collar and chain refer to bans and restrictions. Brockman made the crown and collar herself from construction paper and real newspaper clippings, then used a tripod and interval shooting so she could manage Caldwell and the setup at the same time.
Portrait Outdoor: the dog within the environment
Portrait Outdoor looks for images that reveal a dog’s personality and its relationship with the environment. Elena Marchi won with a panoramic work from London, while second and third place use completely different scales and landscapes.
1st place: PTTL_AL_12 — “Beyond the Track”
Elena Marchi places the dog within the lines of urban architecture, using a panoramic composition that gives the setting an equal visual role.
2nd place: PTTL_AL_13 — “The hunter becomes the hunted”
Susan Lang sets the dog against a giant cat mural, creating a playful reversal of scale and roles.
3rd place: PTTL_AL_14 — “It’s Her World”
Kairi Laiapea keeps the dog small within a vast, nearly monochromatic landscape, emphasizing a strong sense of space.
Action: speed, flight and timing
In Action, timing is decisive. The three images freeze three different kinds of movement: straight-line acceleration through snow, a beach run with a ball, and a leap against a dark atmospheric background.
1st place: PTTL_AL_18 — “Winter Launch”
“Winter Launch” freezes Ori at full speed through the snow. The photographer said it came from a regular client session when the light and conditions aligned perfectly.
2nd place: PTTL_AL_19 — “Mission Balance”
Gavriella Leon spotted Lulu at Cannon Beach, Oregon, running while balancing a blue ball, turning an unexpected moment into a precise action frame.
3rd place: PTTL_AL_20 — “Weightless”
In “Weightless,” motion is frozen for a fraction of a second, while the dark, misty setting strengthens the sense of suspension.
Studio: controlled light and concept
Studio is built around full control of light and setting. From Brockman’s symbolic construction to the humor and sequential ideas in the other winning works, the category shows how differently the same subject can be approached indoors.
1st place / Overall Winner: PTTL_AL_21 — “Loved and Hated”
The same photograph that earned Katie Brockman the overall title also took 1st place in Studio. The crown, collar and chain address the divided attitudes toward pit bulls and bully breeds.
2nd place: PTTL_AL_22 — “Head in the Clouds”
Jill Garrett uses controlled studio light and a large white “cloud” around the Dalmatian for a clean, theatrical image.
3rd place: PTTL_AL_23 — “This Is Growing Up”
Belinda Richards turns a dog’s growth into a horizontal studio sequence, repeating the setup while posture and scale evolve.
Dogs & People: the relationship at the center
Dogs & People shifts the focus from the animal alone to its relationship with a person. The three awarded photographs use different distances, light and staging, but all depend on intimacy and connection.
1st place: PTTL_AL_24 — “Close”
“Close” is Sarah Ebner’s self-portrait with Koda in early morning light. It was made at a place she used to visit with Koda and Faye, who had died the previous year.
2nd place: PTTL_AL_25 — “Nika & Sherry”
Eco Lorka works in black and white, placing the dog prominently in the foreground and letting the human-animal relationship organize the frame.
3rd place: PTTL_AL_26 — “The Weight of Connection”
Santos Román keeps the frame minimal and focuses on the contact between a person and a one-eyed dog, making the animal’s gaze the visual center.
Documentary: unscripted stories
Documentary is based on real conditions, unscripted moments and a clear story. First place goes to shelter dogs, while Katie Gyltnes records two very different views of dog sledding in northern Norway.
1st place: PTTL_AL_27 — “Waiting”
The documentary photograph “Waiting” shows rescued dogs in a shelter waiting for adoption. Tianhang Zhang regularly photographs in shelters, where unpredictable animal behavior and visually complex spaces make shooting demanding.
2nd place: PTTL_AL_28 — “On top of the world”
Katie Gyltnes documents dog sledding in northern Norway with a 70–200mm lens at f/4.5 and 1/1250 sec, keeping the landscape as important as the team.
3rd place: PTTL_AL_29 — “Alone together.”
In “Alone together.” the human and animal presence becomes almost a mark within the snowy landscape. It was also shot with a 70–200mm lens at f/4, 1/1250 sec and ISO 64.
Open: visual freedom and storytelling
Open allows greater formal freedom. The competition does not allow AI-generated images, but it accepts creative photographic approaches ranging from stitched panoramas to multi-frame compositions and unexpected viewpoints.
1st place: PTTL_AL_30 — “Run.”
“Run.” was created as the cover of the fundraising book “Greyhounds & Galgos: Echoes of London.” Marchi stitched more than 30 frames into a panorama and photographed the two dogs separately.
2nd place: PTTL_AL_31 — “Loosing Control”
Callie Soden uses a multi-frame composition in which the dog changes pose from panel to panel, turning movement into a visual sequence.
3rd place: PTTL_AL_32 — “Swimming”
Tianhang Zhang photographs the dog from above among large lotus leaves, with the animal partly disappearing into the colors and shapes of the water surface.
What we think
This year’s selection is interesting because it goes beyond simply “cute” dog pictures: the strongest images use the animal as a carrier of character, relationship or story. The top works in Studio, Documentary and Open in particular show how dog photography can operate as portraiture, documentary practice and personal fine-art work at the same time.
Frequently asked questions
Who won Dog Photographer of the Year 2026?
Katie Brockman of the United States won the overall title with “Loved and Hated,” which also placed 1st in Studio.
How many main categories are in the Dog Photography Awards 2026?
Six: Portrait Outdoor, Action, Studio, Dogs & People, Documentary and Open. The top three places were announced in each category.
Is there a Greek photographer among the top 18 positions?
No. The official top-three list for the six categories does not include a photographer from Greece.
Which photograph won the Documentary category?
“Waiting” by Tianhang Zhang of China, a documentary photograph showing rescued dogs behind shelter bars while they wait for adoption.
