Prize packages will be awarded to the top 10 pets, which will be determined by the amount of funds raised by each. (Only one prize package will be awarded to an individual owner.) Prizes will be awarded as follows:

The top fundraiser pet will receive a prize package of a value more than $500, which will include:

• Its image and name on the front label of a specially brewed Deviate Brewing craft beer named in its honor, and you'll get the beer!
  
  
• Its image and name on the January 2027 page of the Zionsville Town Planner calendar.
  
  
• Prizes may include gift cards, pet supplies and even some items for us humans. All from our generous sponsors.

The second-place Coolest Pet will collect at least $400 in prizes, including:

• Its photo and name will be shown among the 2nd- to 5th-place winners on a second label, plus you'll get some of the beer!
  
  
• Its image and name on the January 2027 page of the Zionsville Town Planner calendar.
  
  
• Prizes may include gift cards, pet supplies and even some items for us humans. All from our generous sponsors.

The third-place Coolest Pet will collect at least $300 in prizes, including:

• Its photo and name will be shown among the 2nd- to 5th-place winners on a second label, plus you'll get some of the beer!
  
  
• Its image and name on the January 2027 page of the Zionsville Town Planner calendar.
  
  
• Prizes may include gift cards, pet supplies and even some items for us humans. All from our generous sponsors.

The fourth-place Coolest Pet will collect at least $200 in prizes, including:

• Its photo and name will be shown among the 2nd- to 5th-place winners on a second label, plus you'll get some of the beer!
  
  
• Its image and name on the January 2027 page of the Zionsville Town Planner calendar.
  
  
• Prizes may include gift cards, pet supplies and even some items for us humans. All from our generous sponsors.

The fifth-place Coolest Pet will collect at least $100 in prizes, including:

• Its photo and name will be shown among the 2nd- to 5th-place winners on a second label, plus free beer!
  
  
• Its image and name on the January 2027 page of the Zionsville Town Planner calendar.
  
  
• Prizes may include gift cards, pet supplies and even some items for us humans. All from our generous sponsors.

Sixth- to tenth-place Coolest Pets each will collect more than $50 in prizes, which may include gift cards, pet supplies and even some items for us humans. All from our generous sponsors.

• Make sure the photograph is in focus. Get up close to your pet when taking the photo. You don’t want your star to compete with the background
  
  
• Whether you have a sophisticated siamese or a goofy gecko, make sure the photograph is taken at a high resolution. At 300 dpi, your photo should be at least 6X4 inches.
  
  
• Capture your pet’s true cool character: Dress them up. Pose them with amusing props. Catch them sleeping or while they're in mid-jump.

• Whether you are telling a true story about your critter or crafting pure fantasy, be clever while explaining why your pet is the coolest pet in the area! Share a unique story about your pet… It could be something inspiring, a hilarious habit or explain a super cool trick they can perform!

Tell your family members to tell their friends. Tell your friends to tell their co-workers. Tell your co-workers to tell their families. Email and Insta everyone! #CoolestPet2026 #ZWKiwanis

• Let everyone know how easy it is to vote!
  
  
• Remind everyone about the discounts:
  Get one extra vote for every $5 spent in a single vote transaction.
  Get 24 votes for $20.
  
  
• Give them the URL link or our QR code to help them get started.
  
  
• Most of all: Use all forms of social media! Post your pet's coolest trick on TikTok with our hashtags!
  
  

Previous coolest pet contest prize recipients used social media heavily to seek support for their cool pets.

Share the contest’s URL (gogophotocontest.com/kiwaniszionsville) and use our hashtags #CoolestPet2026 #ZWKiwanis

Save and share your pet’s contest URL so your supporters can go directly to the correct page.

Some past winners made daily posts. Here are some suggestions to help you generate regular social media content:

• Images are absolutely necessary to capture attention. But people scrolling through social media posts reject content in less time than it takes to blink your eyes. Make sure your videos and photos are:

• Interesting, fun, entertaining.

• Focused.

• Well-framed.

• Up-close.

• Keep your videos short (under 30 seconds or under 15 seconds is even better).

• Keep your text messages short.

Film each family member explaining why they love your pet. Keep it short.

Film or photograph your pet performing a trick or two.

Explain why you support the contest's aim to raise funds for the Boys & Girls Club, the Humane Society or Riley's fight against mental health concerns among Indiana youth.

Snap and post a photo of your pet-related bumper sticker to prove your love for your pet.

Write or record one of your favorite memories from experiences at a Boys & Girls Club, Humane Society or at Riley Children's Hospital.

Write or film yourself describing the moment when you first saw your cool pet.

Share photos/videos of your pet as a baby.

Describe your pet's typical day... or make up a spectacular fictional day of adventure!

Dress your pet in costume or clothes and share a photograph or video.

Capture a video or photo of your pet with a favorite toy.

Ask your children or grandchildren to draw pictures of your pet so you can post their artwork while promoting your cool animal.

Have fun expanding on the story you wrote for your pet's entry. If, for example, you portrayed him/her as a secret agent, tell of a recent, thrilling assignment.

Compare your candidate's traits to those of famous pets... such as The Wonder Pets, Wishbone, Bluey or Toto! We're sure these famous animals are nowhere near as cool as your furry best friend! Right?!

Release your inner comedic talents and pun-fully play with cliché titles! 

"(Pet's Name) needs your help. She/He's an entrant in the Zionsville / Whitestown Coolest Pet Contest. Every $1 dollar vote gets him/her closer to being declared one of ten coolest pets. The top 5 fundraisers will be featured on the label of a special Deviate Brewing beer! More importantly, the contest is raising money for the Boys & Girls Clubs, the Humane Society for Boone County, Riley Children's Foundation, and other causes supported by the Zionsville / Whitestown Kiwanis Club. Please vote (link) for (pet's name). Vote as often as you like! Every contribution/vote is appreciated."

"We're challenging all followers! We've entered our (pet's name) in the Zionsville /Whitestown Kiwanis Coolest Pet Contest. Enter your pet, and let's see -- just among ourselves -- who has the top pet while also supporting our local community!! The chase is on!!"

"Get more votes for your bucks with the Zionsville / Whitestown Kiwanis Coolest Pet Contest's quantity discounts! Each transaction in multiples of five receives bonus votes. A $5 gift gets 6 votes. $20 gets 24. $100 gets 120. And so forth and so forth. (Pet's name) thanks you. We do too!"

"Our pet (Name) is doing well in the Zionsville / Whitestown Kiwanis Coolest Pet Contest, but s/he still needs your help. Every vote is appreciated, and every vote will help Riley Hospital battle mental health issues among Indiana youth, or update Zionsville Boys & Girls Club facilities."

**Here's a not-so-secret secret** In the Zionsville / Whitestown Kiwanis Coolest Pet Contest, you may vote as often as you like!

"I remember fondly my days as a Key Club member, and I'm glad that the Zionsville / Whitestown Kiwanis Club continues to encourage service leadership in our community's youth. If you were a Key Club member or if you think it's a good idea to build tomorrow's service-minded leaders, vote for our pet (name) in the Kiwanians' Coolest Pet Contest."

"Every year, our local Kiwanis club sponsors the Zionsville Community High School Key Club, where more than 300 Whitestown and Z-ville teen members learn how service is a primary component of leadership. That's one of the reasons I'm urging you to support the Coolest Pet Contest: to support the Zionsville / Whitestown Kiwanis Club's investment in our community's youth."

"(Pet's name) is in the home stretch of the Zionsville / Whitestown Coolest Pet Contest. Urge her/him on with your votes today."

"(Pet's name) is in the home stretch of the Zionsville / Whitestown Coolest Pet Contest, and she/he is (very close/halfway/about halfway) to our fundraising goal of $(amount). Your votes will help her/him to the finish line. Thank you."

"(Post a photo of your pet's best begging eyes) Take one look at these eyes. Then vote generously for (Pet's name) in the Zionsville / Whitestown Coolest Pet Contest. You'll make him/her very happy!"

"(Pet's name) may not make the top 10 in the Zionsville / Whitestown Coolest Pet Contest, but it's been fun, and we appreciate everyone's support. And it's all for great causes; so, keep voting (link). Every vote helps children at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Zionsville and Whitestown, as well as Indiana youth fighting mental health issues. Thank you for your support! (Pet's name) thanks you too."

"Thank you for supporting (pet's name) in the Zionsville / Whitestown Coolest Pet Contest. He/she didn't make the top 10, but with your help, he/she made us proud. Plus, we helped raise money for some great causes. Wait 'til the next time!"

"(Pet’s name) won! She/He came in second/third/fourth/fifth in the Zionsville / Whitestown Kiwanis Coolest Pet Contest and will receive a cool collection of prizes. More importantly, he/she raised money for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boone County, Humane Society for Boone County, Riley Children's Foundation and many other great causes. Thank you, everyone!"

The Zionsville / Zionsville Kiwanis Coolest Pet Contest is open to anyone 21-years-old or older who would like to enter their pet to compete for the coveted title of "Zionsville / Whitestown Kiwanis Coolest Pet for 2026."

Pet owners are allowed to submit multiple entries.

Animals that require Indiana Department of Natural Resources wild animal permits are excluded from the contest.

If you have multiple entries, you will need a separate photo for each and post them separately. Show only one pet in each photo. Provide a few short sentences on why your pet is the coolest of the cool. Photos should be digital, in focus and sharp enough to look good on the Internet and in print. No photos of people, just your pet.

There is a $10 fee to enter your pet, which automatically credits your pet with 10 votes!

Pet owners are encouraged to have their friends, relatives, co-workers, anyone and everyone go to the contest website and vote for their dog.

One vote cost $1.00 with no maximum on how many votes a person can buy. For example, $4 earns you 4 votes. And you can come back and vote as often as you'd like.

Or you can take advantage of our promotional quantity discount. If you buy a minimum of 5 votes in a single transaction, you will earn an extra vote. And you will accumulate extra votes for every $5 you spend in a single transaction. For example, spend $5 and receive 6 votes (1 extra vote). Spend $20 and receive 24 votes (4 extra votes), or $100 and receive 120 votes (20 extra votes), and so on.

Pet owners themselves will be able to buy as many votes as they'd like too. (The purpose of the contest is to raise money for worthy, child- and animal-focused causes, as well as to have fun identifying cool pets.)
 

The Zionsville / Whitestown Kiwanis Coolest Pet Contest will officially launch at 8:00:00 AM (Eastern Time) on Monday, August 25, 2026, and end on Sunday, October 5, 2026. No entrants will be accepted after 8:00:00 PM (Eastern Time) on Monday, September 29, 2026, but voting will continue until  Sunday, October 5, 2026.

Winners will be announced the week of October 6, 2026.

Only one prize will be awarded to one person. (If, for example, a person enters two animals and wins prizes for both, only one prize will be awarded.)

All entries will be made online by visiting the contest website and following the directions for entering pets in the contest and voting. Contest payments online are through a secure site.

By submitting an entry, you (the entrant) agree that you have all and full permissions to share the photo, which may appear on the contest website, social media, contest promotional media, newspapers and on beers sold by Deviate Brewing.

• Your photo should show only one pet (no people or other pets).

• Multiple shots of the same dog or cat on one photo is acceptable.

• Well-composed, well-lit, in-focus images attract voters and will work best on a beer label.)

• Your photo should be high-resolution (300 dpi or greater).

• Any photos with watermarks will not be accepted. Photos from professional photographers must have the photographer's approval.

• Photos deemed offensive, indecent, or obscene will be removed from the contest.

• Deviate Brewing will decide how to name the beer.

• All photos must be entered via the contest website. No mail-in/hand-delivered photo entries will be accepted.

• All entered photos will become the property of the Zionsville / Whitestown Kiwanis Club.

Special promotional prize packages may be announced during the voting period. Watch our Facebook page for announcements.

We encourage you to share your contest page link with family and friends through email and social media, encouraging them to vote for your favorite contestant's photo.

All donations for votes are non-refundable and are not tax-deductible (because there was a vote in exchange for the donation). All entries and donations must be made via the online contest page.

Donations and photo entries for this online contest that are submitted via other means (US mail, in-person or by other means) will be accepted as donations but not applied toward the contest.

This fundraiser is being conducted by the Kiwanis Club of Zionsville / Whitestown, Indiana. Our partners include Deviate Brewing, Boys & Girls Club of Boone County, Human Society for Boone County and Riley Children's Foundation. We deeply appreciate our sponsors who have contributed donations and items to our award packages.

There are no prize packages for different species. There will be 10 coolest pets, as well as overall winners of promotional mini-contests.

If the first-place winner cannot be contacted by midnight, October 12, 2026, the Kiwanis Club of Zionsville / Whitestown may award first-place to the next highest vote-getter.

Participation in the contest constitutes entrant's agreement to and acceptance of these Official Rules and the decisions of the Main Sponsor (Kiwanis Club of Zionsville / Whitestown), which are final. Winning a prize is contingent upon being compliant with these Official Rules.

Participation in the contest constitutes agreement to and acceptance of these Official Rules and the decisions of the Main Sponsor (Kiwanis Club of Zionsville / Whitestown), which are final and binding. Winning a prize is contingent upon being compliant with these Official Rules and fulfilling all other requirements of the contest.

In the event that the operation of the Contest is impaired in any way for any reason, the Kiwanis Club of Zionsville / Whitestown (Main Sponsor) may, in its sole discretion, either (a) suspend the Contest to address the impairment and then resume the contest in a manner that best conforms to the spirit of these Official Rules or (b) terminate the contest and, in the event of termination, award the prize from among the eligible, legitimate entries received up to the time of the impairment. The Main Sponsor (the Kiwanis club) reserves the right in its sole discretion to disqualify any individual it finds to be tampering with the entry process or the operation of the Contest or to be acting in violation of these Official Rules or in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive or offensive manner.

By participating in the Contest, entrants agree to release and hold harmless the Main Sponsor, all other Sponsors, and each of their respective parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, advertising and promotion agencies, other companies associated with the contest, and each of their respective officers, directors, employees, shareholders, representatives, and agents (the Released Parties) from and against any claim or cause of action arising out of participation in the Contest or receipt or use of the prize(s).

Our celebrity pets from the Zionsville Police Department are entered in the contest and may receive votes that will contribute funds to the Contest, but the dogs will not be eligible for prizes.