A year in dogs, framed in 18 winning photographs

The 2026 Dog Photography Awards have turned their attention to the many ways people see dogs: as companions, subjects and, in some cases, misunderstood breeds. Eighteen winning images were selected from about 1,900 entries submitted from 50 countries.

Katie Brockman was named dog photographer of the year for “Loved and Hated”, which also took first place in the studio category. Brockman said the image aimed to convey divided feelings towards pitbulls and bully breeds, from vilification to the efforts of people who love and protect them.

The awards recognised work in studio, portrait outdoor, open, documentary, action, and dogs and people. The Guardian’s Culture gallery presents the winning images and category placings, including portraits, moments of movement and photographs of people with their dogs.

In the documentary category, Tianhang Zhang’s “Waiting” took first place. Zhang described the photograph as showing rescued dogs in a shelter waiting for adoption. Katie Gyltnes’s second-place image, “On top of the world”, is described as a scene of dog sledding in northern Norway.

The action category includes Gavriella Leon’s “Mission Balance”, placed second, and Linda Glomb’s “Weightless”, placed third. Leon said she photographed Lulu running beneath a ball on Cannon Beach in Oregon; the supplied gallery lists no first-place action image.

The dogs and people category was led by Sarah Ebner’s “Close”. Its other placings were Eco Lorka’s “Nika & Sherry” and Santos Roman’s “The Weight of Connection”, whose photographer described the portrait as a celebration of a dog who had lost an eye.