The judging panel featured some of the most respected experts in the industry. They were: Alex Cearns (Australia), Alice Loder (UK), Alicja Zmysłowska (Poland), Belinda Richards (Australia), Denise Landerberg (Sweden), Diana Lundin (USA), Elke Vogelsang (Germany), Jessica McGovern (UK), Jo Howell (Australia), Kaylee Greer (USA), Mareike Konrad (Germany), Nicole Begley (USA), Phyllis Burchett (USA), Richard Wood (New Zealand), Sam Haddix (USA), Travis Patenaude (USA), and of course, the hosts of the awards, Craig Turner-Bullock (New Zealand) and Charlotte Reeves (Australia), from Unleashed Education.

Janneke De Graaf earned the title of 2024 International Pet Photographer of the Year with her stunning portfolio showcasing her Basenjis. “My partner and I have four at home, three of which are bred by ourselves. Basenjis have a beautiful, quite serious expression and very elegant lines, which makes them stand out in images. Their obedience, or lack thereof, can make them challenging to pose though and a handler is almost always needed," Janneke shared.

Bored Panda got in touch with Craig Turner-Bullock, who, along with Charlotte Reeves, forms the team behind Unleashed Education—a pet photography education platform providing both online and in-person learning to students worldwide. The duo also organizes the International Pet Photographer of the Year Awards, which is why we wanted to learn more about the competition.

"The awards have now been running since 2019, and our continued inspiration behind running the awards is to raise awareness of this niche of photography and the incredible artists in this space to a wider audience, and to encourage and help those artists to grow by recognizing their work and providing feedback that will help them along in their artistic journey," Craig shared.

When asked what sets the winning photographs apart, Craig explained that the judges look for more than just technical excellence; they seek images that stand out with something unique or evoke a strong emotional connection. "There were many images in this year's competition that did that. Our Overall winners' use of light, color composition, and posing of her subject, as well as showcasing a range of discipline and technique made her the choice for our judges."

If you’re thinking about entering the International Pet Photographer of the Year competition next year, Craig shared some valuable insights: "First and foremost, put your best work forward and make sure you follow the rules and pay attention to every detail. It is perhaps also worth considering the reason you are entering; is it to win overall or a category, to gain points towards becoming accredited photographer distinctions, or is it to learn from feedback and continue personal growth, or a combination of all of those things? Set a goal for yourself and compete against that, not against the other entrants.

Remember the judges don’t know your personal experience of capturing an image. Try to remove your own emotional connection and assess what to enter objectively. For example, you may value it because you hiked for five hours to get to a location, or perhaps a pet is no longer here, or it was really hard to connect with the animal and you managed to capture something that isn’t too bad. Unless those stories are communicated visually to bring a narrative, judges don’t know and score based on what they see in front of them. Having said all that, you also have to trust your instinct and try not to overthink every last detail, just go for it and enjoy the process, it’s really fun and can be quite addictive!"