Join the 2026 Pet Lovers’ Choice Awards!
Get ready for the most exciting event of the year — introducing the Pet Lovers’ Choice Awards! Best Friends is partnering with a new, star-studded, nationally broadcast event that celebrates our beloved pets, and we want your organization to be a part of it. This is the chance to engage your communities, have them celebrate your adoption stories, and receive critical funding for your organization.
Submit your organization today so your adopters, and the entire pet-loving community, can support your organization!
Pet Submissions & Voting Now Open!
Tell your community to enter their adopted pets in ANY category on PetLoversChoiceAwards.com and select your organization when doing so. The more adopted pets submitted from your organization, the better chance you'll have!
We’ve put together a set of creative, ready-to-use templates to help you reach your adopters and supporters. You can use these to encourage your community to submit their pets and vote, starting November 28.
What's Up For Grabs
- 16 runners-up, 8 rescues and 8 shelters, will receive $5,000 grants each
- Top organization overall will receive a $20,000 grant and will be recognized during the televised awards
- Bonus grants may be available throughout the event
How It Works
- First, submit your shelter or rescue to participate in the awards. This allows your organizations to be selected when pets are submitted.
- Starting November 13, reach out to your community and encourage them to enter their adopted pets in ANY category on PetLoversChoiceAwards.com. They'll be able to select your organization when registering your pet. The submission period ends on December 10th.
The more adopted pets submitted from your organization, the better chance you'll have! The public can begin voting as early as November 28.
Frequently Asked Questions
I have technical issues or I have a question about the registration, submission or voting process.
Launchpad6 is the company supporting the tech side of this offering. Please reach out to their helpdesk at help@launchpad6.com.
Is it free to submit pets?
Yes! It is free to submit pets.
Is it free to vote?
Users will be given one free vote per day, but can purchase more if they would like.
What portion of the proceeds is going to Best Friends?
Best Friends will receive 51% of funds generated by consumers purchasing votes and a portion of any sponsorship revenue. From the revenue Best Friends receives, Best Friends is providing grants totaling a minimum of $100,000 distributed among 17 network partners.
How are organizations selected for a grant?
To be considered, your organization must be or become a Best Friends Network Partner by January 20, 2026 at 11:59pm ET. Grant recipients will be selected based on the total number of votes submitted for any pet submitted for Pet Lovers' Choice Awards that the submitter designated as having been adopted from or is adoptable from the network partner.
*The Pet Lovers' Choice Awards is a fundraiser benefiting Best Friends Animal Society. Best Friends will receive 51% of funds generated by consumers purchasing votes and a portion of any sponsorship revenue. From the revenue to Best Friends, Best Friends will provide grants totaling a minimum of $100,000 distributed among a minimum of 17 network partners. To be considered, your organization must be or become a Best Friends Network Partner by January 20, 2026. Grant recipients will be selected based on the total number of votes submitted for any pet submitted for Pet Lovers' Choice Awards that the submitter designated as having been adopted from or is adoptable from the network partner. The one network parter with the most votes will receive a grant for $20,000. Sixteen network partners will receive a grant for $5,000: one shelter and one rescue from each Best Friends region that received the most votes in their category and did not receive the $20,000 grant. If two or more organizations are tied for votes, the grant pool for that category will be divided equally among those organizations. Grant recipients will be required to execute a grant agreement and provide a W9 form prior to receiving the funds.