SAN RAFAEL, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Guide Dogs for the Blind (GDB) will bring cuteness into focus for the world at a time when it truly needs it, with photos of adorable dogs being shared online through its annual Puparazzi Photo Contest. The contest offers six photo entry categories, including the Pet Pooches category, which allows the public to submit photos of dogs of any breed.
The other categories include GDB guide dog puppies, working GDB guide dogs, GDB breeder dogs, GDB career change dogs, and the newest category, GDB K9 Buddies. GDB made photos of K9 Buddies eligible for submission as it continues to expand its programs to serve youth. K9 Buddies matches specially selected dogs to become wonderful pets and buddies to children and young adults who are blind or visually impaired and their families.
The winning photo for the five GDB categories will be featured in the Guide Dogs for the Blind 2021-2022 Puparazzi Photo Calendar. All six category winners will receive 10 copies of the calendar. The overall winning vote-getter will also receive a $100 gift card.
The contest website will be open for submissions, and voting will start on Monday, April 5, 2021, at 8 a.m. PST. Voting runs through Monday, April 19, 2021, at 9 p.m. PST. Entrants should submit the highest resolution images available. Horizontal images are preferred. Photo entries are free, and votes cost $1 each, with all proceeds going to GDB’s life-changing mission of providing highly qualified guide dogs free of charge to empower individuals who are blind or visually impaired.
All submissions must include the name of the dog(s) and of any human in the photo, as well as a brief description. Photos will not be approved if they feature dogs from other service dog organizations.
“The difficulties we’ve all faced over the last year have made a lot of online news content pretty gloomy, so we hope our Puparazzi Photo contest will brighten social media newsfeeds everywhere,” said Christine Benninger, CEO and president for Guide Dogs for the Blind. “It’s also a great opportunity to reach out to family and friends and engage them in our work by posting photos and helping us reach our ambitious goal of raising $40,000 through the contest this year.”
For detailed rules about the contest, visit Puparazzi Rules.
About Guide Dogs for the Blind
Headquartered in San Rafael, Calif., Guide Dogs for the Blind is more than an industry-leading guide dog school; it is a passionate community that serves the visually impaired. GDB prepares highly qualified guide dogs to serve and empower individuals who are blind or visually impaired. All of its services are provided free of charge. GDB receives no government funding. More than 15,000 guide teams have graduated from GDB since it was founded in 1942. The organization was the subject of an award-winning 2018 documentary feature called Pick of the Litter, which was developed into a television docu-series by the same name that debuted in late 2019 on the streaming service Disney +. For more information, visit guidedogs.com.