First Place winner will be awarded to the contestant with the most votes overall at the close of the contest.

The first-place winner receives:

• Recognition on the front cover and one month of choice inside the 2026 Forsyth Humane Society Pet Calendar.
• Your pet's photo will be branded on a Fiddlin' Fish beer and released with the calendars on August 14, 2025.
• A professional pet photo shoot with Desilu Photography at a to-be-determined date, time, and location. The photography prize includes up to 2 hours of photography at a pre-determined location (within 20 miles of Desilu Photography) that the photographer and winner agree upon with the option of location and outfit changes. This session can include the pet and their human family members. The collection will include the session and your choice of 10 digital files. The calendar will feature two images from the photo shoot of the winning dog or cat.
• Forsyth Humane Society branded t-shirt.
• Four complimentary copies of the calendar.
• Tickets (2) to the Furr Ball Gala on November 8, 2025.

Second Place will be awarded to the contestant with the most votes after the first-place winner.
The second-place winner receives:

• Recognition on the inside cover and one month of choice inside the 2026 FHS Pet Calendar.
• A professional pet photo shoot with Desilu Photography at a to-be-determined date, time, and location. The photography package includes a 45-minute session indoors or outdoors at the Desilu Cottage in Lewisville, NC. Family members can join in the portraits. This includes a personal viewing session immediately following the photo session and 5 digital files sized to be printed 8x10 or smaller. The calendar will feature two images from the photo shoot of the second-place dog or cat.
• Forsyth Humane Society branded t-shirt.
• Three complimentary copies of the calendar.

The 11 contestants with the most votes after the second-place winner will be runners-up (3rd to 13th place).

These winners receive:

• Featured pet for one month inside the 2026 FHS Pet Calendar (month to be selected by Forsyth Humane Society).
• Professional pet photo shoot with Desilu Photography at a to-be-determined date and time. Includes a 20-minute themed session at the Desilu Cottage in Lewisville, NC (to capture calendar photo), a personal viewing session of images immediately following the photo session, and 2 digital files sized to be printed 8x10 or smaller. One image from the photo shoot will be to be used inside the calendar.
• Forsyth Humane Society branded t-shirt.
• Two complimentary copies of the calendar.

• Hand-drawn 11"x14" custom portrait of your pet donated by the artist Heather L Jones. The winner will receive the artist's contact information and scheduling details.
• Opportunity to answer "interview" questions to accompany their entry photo and be featured on the "Meet the Winners" page in the calendar. 

• Opportunity to answer "interview" questions to accompany their entry photo and be featured on the "Meet the Winners" page in the calendar. 

Contestants who finish in the Top 100 will be recognized inside the calendar in a unique collage featuring their entry photos.

Please email Kate Michalek at kmichalek73@proton.me or Kristen Williams-Susong at kwilliams@forsythhumane.org

• Photos of dogs and cats will be accepted (no people please) and may contain more than one pet.
• Due to copyright laws, please no professional photos unless you have the expressed written consent of the photographer.
• We recommend photos be high-resolution (300 dpi or greater). Please do not include photos with digital overlays or effects.
• Your pet does NOT have to be adopted from Forsyth Humane Society (FHS) or live in Winston-Salem, NC, to be eligible to enter the contest.
• Forsyth Humane Society reserves the right to decline publication of any photograph for any reason. If a photograph is declined, FHS will notify the participant and request a replacement.
• Each $1 donation counts as one vote for that photo. Donations are non-refundable.
• Once entered, photos may be used by FHS at its discretion for print and marketing purposes.
• The submission and voting period begins at 12:00:00 AM (Eastern Time) on Saturday, February 1, 2025  and ends at 11:59:59 PM (Eastern Time) on Friday, February 28, 2025.
• Winners will be announced on the contest website at the close of the contest at 11:59:59 PM (Eastern Time) on Friday, February 28, 2025.
• Winners will be contacted by Forsyth Humane Society or Desilu Photography to schedule the photo shoot date, time and location. If for any reason a winner is unable to attend the photo shoot, their place in the calendar will be awarded to the next runner up.
• If a winning contestant is deceased or passes away before the professional photo shoot has taken place, their photo shoot and place in the calendar may be donated to another cat or dog of the winner's choice or awarded to the next runner up.
• All online photo entries must be submitted by 11:59:59 PM (Eastern Time) on Friday, February 28, 2025.

• First and foremost HAVE FUN!
• The most successful entries are promoted to family and friends via social media, text and/or email. Invite the pet lovers in your life to join the fun and support your pet(s)!

• Each vote costs $1. There is no limit to the number of votes you may cast for the duration of the contest.
• Votes may be cast for multiple entries.
• The $15 entry fee includes 20 votes.
• You may vote for your own photo. 
• Online voting begins as soon as the photo is registered and ends at 11:59:59 PM (Eastern Time) on Friday, February 28, 2025.

• The vote bank is optional and allows participants who create an account to purchase all of their votes at one time. Once you have banked your votes you may allocate them to multiple entries throughout the duration of the contest.
• Banked votes MUST be applied to an entry before the contest ends. Any unallocated votes will not be automatically applied. Unallocated votes will be considered a contest donation to the organization and will not be automatically refunded. 
• Banked votes can only be used in the contest they were originally purchased in (they cannot be used in a different contest).

FHS uses the GoGo Photo Contest platform to manage our calendar contest. Participants are asked to create an account when entering the contest. Creating an account is optional when voting for a contestant. The account benefits participants by allowing them to manage their entries, calendar and reserve-a-day orders, create a vote bank (optional), see who has voted for their pet and print a donation receipt. Account information is private and never shared or sold to third parties. 

Please email Kate Michalek at kmichalek73@proton.me or Kristen Williams-Susong at kwilliams@forsythhumane.org

Guarantee your pets' place in the calendar! For $15, reserve a day to honor their adoption day, birthday, or other special day! First come, first served. Buy 3 Calendar Days, Get 1 Calendar FREE!
Reserve a Day ➝


Pre-order your 2026 calendar for $25. Available for pick-up or delivery in Fall 2025.
2026 Calendar Pre-Order ➝