The annual Coolest Dog contest is back and local pups are practicing their best “Blue Steel” poses in hopes of taking home the grand prizes.
The Kiwanis Club of Plant City created the virtual contest last year in an effort to have a more creative way to get people involved. This year the contest is back and with much of the country still social distancing and staying home when possible, the Coolest Dog contest is the perfect way to get community engagement while ensuring everyone remains safe.
This year’s contest runs from Aug. 15 to Oct. 15. Dog owners can submit a photo of their dogs online for a $10 entry fee, which also gives their entry 10 points. Then they are given a link that they can share with their friends on social media or via email. Their friends can hop on over to their submission and vote as many times as they’d like with votes running $1 each.
Last year, the top dogs gathered in a special ceremony at the Robert W. Willaford Railroad Museum. Each was honored for their modeling skills and walked away with a variety of bark-tastic prizes.
This year the Top Dog will receive a “Coolest Dog” medal, a $300 gift card and a “Coolest Dog” bandana. The second vogue-worthy pup will receive a medal, a $200 gift card and a “Cool Dog” bandana. Third place will receive a medal, a $100 gift card and a “Cool Dog” bandana.
Fourth through 10th place will receive special treats as well as a bandana.
The competition will be ruff, but if your pup can strike a pose perhaps they will walk away with the coveted prizes. All the proceeds from the event go to Kiwanis Club of Plant City, which in turn will use the money for a variety of programs for local children.
Kiwanis Club of Plant City was founded in 1921 and is one of the older Kiwanis Clubs in the entire world. The group does everything from mentoring children to providing scholarships and even promoting entrepreneurship. The group donates more than $34,000 annually to local organizations.
So far, three furry friends have already joined their fellow models on the “dog-walk” and are pulling in votes.
You can submit your furry friend in the contest at gogophotocontest.com/kiwanisclubplantcity. To participate, the owner of the pup must be age 21 or older. When you submit your photo, provide a few short sentences on why your doggo is the coolest around. Make sure your model is solo in the shot — don’t let any humans hog the limelight — and submit the highest quality image you have.
If you have multiple dogs you wish to submit, please consider each pupper to be an individual submission and take photos of them separately.