When it comes to being a cover model, does your pup have all the right stuff? Do you know a feline who has the purrfect pose? The Houston SPCA is searching for 18 of Houston's Hottest Pet Photos, and we want YOU [and your friends] to be the judges!
The Houston SPCA invites you to enter our 100th Anniversary Pet Calendar Photo Calendar Contest! This is not your typical photography contest. The simple, interactive voting platform puts you in the driver's seat while helping give thousands of orphaned, abused, and neglected animals a second chance at life!
This year's photo contest will begin on July 12, 2024, and end on August 9, 2024!
Reserve a Day to Honor Your Pet
Just want a guaranteed spot in the calendar? Reserve a day to honor your pet. This can be for your pet's adoption anniversary, birthday, loved one's birthday, memorial or really any special day! Your pet's photo will appear on the day of your choice. Just choose your favorite photo and then choose the day and pay! First come first served! Once a date has been reserved, it will no longer be available.
Reserve Your Day Here →
Prizes
Prizes will be awarded based on fundraising totals.
The grand prize will be awarded to the participant who raises the most donations for homeless pets! The top eighteen winners will receive a full-page monthly placement within the Houston SPCA 2025 calendar.
Please keep in mind that there may be a 15 minute delay between when a gift is received/recorded and when it is reflected online. Winners will be notified by email on or about September 5, 2025.
Grand Prize:
Prizes will be awarded based on fundraising total. Grand prize will be awarded to the participant who places first. First prize will be awarded to participants placing 2-9. The second prize will be awarded to participants placing 10-13. The third prize will be awarded to participants placing 14-29.
Grand Prize:
The winning pet will be on the cover of our 2025 calendar.
First Prize:
Eight first prize winners will receive full-page monthly placement within the calendar.
Second Prize:
Four second prize winners will receive half-page monthly placement within the calendar.
Third Prize:
Sixteen third prize winners receive "above the fold" monthly placement (approximately 1/8 of a page).
HOW MUCH IS THE ENTRY FEE?
The entry fee is only $25 per photo and includes one copy of our full-color calendar that will be mailed to you in October, just in time for the holidays! You can make an additional donation during the entry process that will count as votes toward your submitted photo(s). We estimate the value received per entry fee to be $15, therefore, of your $25 entry fee,
$10 may be considered a tax-deductible donation. All proceeds from contest entries will help us in our mission to protect the lives of animals.
HOW MANY PHOTOS CAN I ENTER?
You can enter as many as you want!
HOW DO I VOTE FOR A PET'S PHOTO?
Votes are $1 each, with a minimum donation of $5 for five votes. All votes are tax-deductible. Yes, you can vote for your own pet's photo (as many times as you and your friends and family want!). You get to choose where each vote goes: To the same photo or multiple photos!
WHEN WILL I GET MY CALENDAR?
We will mail calendars in October.
PARTICIPATION:
You can enter photos of your cats, dogs, horses, small mammals, and birds! Your pet does
NOT have to be adopted from the Houston SPCA to be eligible to enter this contest. The registration fee is $25 per photo and includes a free 2025 Houston SPCA Calendar! You can have more than one pet in each photo, but please – No Humans! Photos need to be at least 300 dpi and at least 1MB in size. Photos must be high resolution (3650 pixels x 2740 pixels is preferred for printing purposes).
Your pet is perfect, so please, no filtered/photoshopped or altered images. You can only submit photos that you have the rights to reproduce. Online entries must be received by 12:00:00 PM (Central Time) on Monday, September 30, 2080.
The event coordinator reserves the right to request a different photo if the above criteria are not met.
*Each registration fee includes one copy of the 2025 Houston SPCA Calendar.
VOTING:
Each vote only costs $1, with a minimum of 5 votes for $5 per submission. You, your friends, and your family can cast as many votes as you want there is no limit!! Online voting begins just as soon as the photo is registered and ends at 12:00:00 PM (Central Time) on Monday, September 30, 2080.
RULES – ENTERING A PHOTO
- We look forward to seeing your photos of cats, dogs, horses, small mammals and birds! Your pet does NOT have to be adopted from the Houston SPCA to be eligible to enter this contest.
- Your photo may contain more than one pet.
- People are not allowed in your photo, only pets.
- All photos of cats must depict them in an indoor setting.
- We cannot accept Polaroids, photos with digital overlays, photo stickers or doodles, or any copyrighted photos.
- Contest participants are responsible for ensuring that they have the right to submit the photos being entered in the contest. By submitting to the contest, you affirm that you are the photographer, or have been given unrestricted use permission by the photographer, to include the photo.
- Photos must be high resolution (3650 pixels x 2740 pixels is preferred for printing purposes).
- Once entered, photos become the property of the Houston SPCA to be used for print and marketing purposes.
- Online entries must be submitted before 12:00:00 PM (Central Time) on Monday, September 30, 2080.
RULES - VOTING
- Online votes for photo entries must be submitted before 12:00:00 PM (Central Time) on Monday, September 30, 2080*.
*The cut off time for online voting will be solely determined by the host website's server, or the Houston SPCA's business clock if submitted in person.
Keep in mind your clock may differ from the clock that determines the ending time.