2021 Comedy Pet Photo Awards winners announced
posted Tuesday, December 7, 2021 at 5:00 PM EDT
The winners of the 2021 Animal Friends Comedy Pet Photo Awards have been announced. This year, the overall winner is Zoe Ross for her photo of the puppy, Pepper. Ross takes home a grand prize of £2000 (over $2,600 USD at current conversion rates), some of which will be given to a pet welfare charity and spent on treats for the family dogs.
Ross's photo, 'Whizz Pop,' shows a well-timed bubble floating past Pepper's bottom. After learning of her win, Ross said, 'We never ever thought that we would win but entered the competition because we loved the idea of helping a charity just by sending in a funny photo of Pepper. She is such a little monkey, and very proud of herself, bringing in items from the garden and parading past you until you notice her. She is the happiest puppy we've ever known and completely loved to pieces.'
Pepper was nine weeks old at the time of the photo and is now seven months old. Pepper was added to the family to help the family's other dog, Dolly, with separation anxiety. Of Pepper, Ross says, 'She's been a wonderful addition to the family, providing lots of extra love and entertainment for all of us, especially Dolly – they are inseparable.'
'We're so proud that our partnership with the Comedy Pet Photography Awards will help hundreds of animals across the UK secure a happier and healthier future. Helping judge so many immensely entertaining and brilliant photos was an extremely difficult task. The winning photo of Pepper playing in the garden, with a perfectly timed bubble, sums up what this competition is all about,' said Wes Pearson, CEO of Animal Friends. 'Our pets offer us so much companionship, support, unconditional love, and so much joy. The quirks they have, the (many!) faces they pull, the peculiar behaviors that make them unique; life is simply better with them around!'
The competition also donated to Animal Support Angels. Amanda Broome, Founder-Trustee of the organization, said, 'The amazing donation from the competition has been an absolute lifeline for the charity and every penny received will be used to help animals in need, we won't let animals suffer and will always help if we can. It's that simple. So, as well as being an uplifting source of joy and hilarity, this funny pet photo competition has also helped to improve the lives of thousands of animals across the country and beyond.'
In addition to the grand prize winner, the competition also awarded winners in seven other categories, including Cat, Dog, Horse, All Other Creatures, Pet who Look Most like their Owners, Junior and Video categories. Beyond winners, 10 photographers were also recognized as Highly Commended for their entries. All Category winners and Highly Commended photographers were awarded a certified and a new Animal Friends Comedy Pet Goodie Bag.
Below, we've selected some more of our favorite images to showcase. To view all the winning photos, head over to the Comedy Pet Photo Awards website. And if you want even more laughs, check out our coverage of this year's Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards.
