Photo Finish

The World Dog Press Association, or WDPA, is an international organization for professional dog photographers who work with magazines and other media. 

The WDPA issues its members annual press cards that give them access shows in order to cover them. The members are experienced in many aspects of photography covered by the competition categories. This year, entries came from members as far away as China and others from Russia, Hungary, the U.K. and several other countries. 

The entries were divided into four categories and the winners determined by the judges’ scores.

This year’s judges are related to the dog world with some experience in photography.

– Ms. Lidija Oklescen (Slovenia), an FCI judge with a passion for photography and a talented photographer

– Mr. Igor Selimovic (Croatia), an FCI judge with an eye for dog photography

– Mr. Maarten Goossens (Belgium), is Nikon’s Professional Service Manager at Nikon Belgium

Igor Selimovic provided some information about himself and this year’s judging.

“Part of my occupation was as a graphic designer and owner of the pre-press studio IGGY ART,” he explained, adding that being an all-round FCI judge also helped him in photographing dogs. “I took  professional photographs for the Croatian Kennel Club magazine Moj Pas, as well as the magazine I owned, Naši Psi Bez Granica.”

The four WDPA contest categories are:

Sport and Action

This category covers dogs in motion, one of the most attractive aspects for photographers who cover dog shows and sports.

1st Place: Pauline Oliver, United Kingdom

2nd Place: Tereza Šubertová, Czech Republic

3rd Place: Malwina Przysowa, Poland

Portrait & Man’s Best Friend

Close-ups expressing dogs’ relationship with humans.

1st Place: Klaudia Karlowicz, Poland

2nd Place: Simone Luca, Italy

3rd Place: Grzegorz Gebik, Poland

Hero Dogs

A category that exhibits the manner in which dogs assist people, which can include dogs for the disabled, rescue and others.

1st Place: Simone Luca, Italy

2nd Place: Tereza Šubertová, Czech Republic

3rd Place: Balázs Horváth, Hungary

Fine Art

A bit unclear, but well expressed by the photos that were entered. It contains photos that undergo various processes, including Photoshop, etc., many of them used in advertisements.

1st Place: Julie Smith Caffrey, Ireland

2nd Place: Chris Chou, Taiwan

3rd Place: Dina Untersee, Switzerland

Special awards by Mrs. and Mr. Costanza and Louis Ferraris-de Liedekerke:

For the past three years, Mr. and Mrs.  Ferraris-de-Liedekerke from Belgium have been among the sponsors of the competition. They are both involved in photography. This is why the organizers decided to allocate a special prize that they could award, in addition to the judges. 

Svetlana Polyakova, Russia (above) and Katerina Kollárová, Czech Republic

Another sponsor that has been supporting the competition since its first year is Birdbrook Rosettes, owned and managed by Charles Allen.  

“I’ve been a Polish dog photographer since 2008 working at the biggest dog events — the World Dog Show, European Dog Show, Crufts,” says photographer Malwina Przysowa, whose “Flying Papillon” took third place in the Sport and Action category. “On a daily basis, I work in a more natural environment, exploring mountains, forests and beaches with dogs and their owners to create pictures. I have a very clearly defined goal — the best possible presentation of dogs in terms of exterior, but with this specific fairy-tale aura, in beautiful natural circumstances.”

This year, the award ceremony took place at the podium in the main ring before Best in Show was judged. The WDPA board was accompanied by judge Igor Selimovic, FCI President Tamas Jakkel and the Croatian Kennel Club president.

The WDPA would like to thank all the judges, sponsors and participants of this year’s annual competition.