We are delighted to announce the launch of The Field Top Dog Awards, in association with Skinner's dog food
The Field is delighted to announce the launch of the Top Dog Awards 2024, held in association with Skinner’s. The Awards are set out to search for not only the best gundog (and non-gundog breeds) who can retrieve with excellence or show promise in the field but for our other canine companions too. From the terrier to the precocious puppy, dedicated assistance dogs to courageous service dogs, The Field’s Top Dog Awards are open to all canine creeds. There are 10 categories to enter, which will be judged by a combination of our expert panel and a public vote.
Two categories are looking specifically for exceptional images that capture the character of our four-legged favourites: Best Working Dog Photograph and Best Puppy Photograph. Whether it is a joyful yomp across the fields on an early spring day, a lazy Sunday afternoon in front of the fire, an eager presence on the peg or a patient one on the riverbank, our dogs form the backbone of our sporting and non-sporting lives. We all have the stories we want to share about them. It might be the labrador who was despatched for a retrieve and found waiting on the gun bus, the spaniel who stole the sausages at elevenses, the terrier who raised the alarm when their owner was taken ill, or the rescue dog who is now the family linchpin. From hound to heeler, lurcher to labrador and cocker to Clumber, we want to hear all about them.
To enter your own dog or to nominate another dog please click this link or visit https://www.futureevents.uk/topdogawards and fill out the form.
THE TOP DOG AWARDS CATEGORIES
Best Retrieve (spaniel, labrador or pointer)
A retrieve considered perfect or outstanding given particularly challenging or unusual conditions.
Best Retrieve (all other breeds)
A perfect retrieve or one considered outstanding in challenging or unusual conditions completed by breeds other than spaniels, labradors or pointers.
Most Promising Newcomer
An example of exemplary work from a gundog breed in its first season working.
Best Family Dog
A dog of any breed that has proved itself the ultimate all-round, child-friendly family pet.
Best Rehomed Dog
A dog of any breed that has thrived after being rehomed. Please state the rehoming charity/rescue the dog came from.
Best Puppy Photograph
An image featuring any dog breed that best encapsulates the appeal and cheekiness of puppies.
Best Working Dog Photograph
A picture that captures a working dog doing its job brilliantly and loving life.
Naughtiest Dog
A dog of any breed with a nose for trouble and misadventure.
Ex-Service Dog Award
An Armed Forces, Border Force, police or fire and rescue service dog of any breed that has performed its duties in exemplary fashion and is now enjoying a well-deserved retirement.
Best Assistance Dog
A dog, of any breed, whose owner’s life is enhanced by the assistance it provides. Please supply details of the charity that trained the dog.
THE PRIZE
Each category winner will receive 15kg of any dog food in Skinner’s range, a box of 12 energy bars and six packs of Skinner’s wet food with the option of chicken, lamb, salmon or a mix of all three. All winners and their superstar dogs will be invited to an awards ceremony and also be featured in the magazine.
HOW TO ENTER OR NOMINATE
To enter your own dog or to nominate another dog please click this link or visit https://www.futureevents.uk/topdogawards and fill out the form.
Entries can be made on behalf of your own dog or you may nominate another dog in any of the categories. Contact details for the nominee will be required.
Send in an account explaining why the dog deserves to win the category. All entries must be accompanied by a photograph of the dog.
Entries close on Wednesday, 1 May 2024.
THE JUDGING PANEL
Alexandra Henton
The Editor of The Field is often accompanied by a fox-red labrador or the family Jack Russell terrier. Every summer the canine ranks swell to accommodate hound puppies at walk: surely a shoo-in for the ‘naughtiest’ laurels. “Days spent in the field, and those at home, are made by our four-legged companions. I’m delighted that we are recognising their many merits in our Top Dog Awards and look forward to judging the entries.”
David Tomlinson
David Tomlinson writes The Field’s Sporting Dog column. He has shot over, photographed or worked with almost every gundog breed in Britain, from Clumbers to Chesapeakes, springers to spinoni. “Judging these awards is great fun, as it gives a heart-warming reminder of just how much canine companionship means to so many people.”
Ben Skinner
Ben Skinner joined the family business, Skinner’s, in 2021 and has helped the company grow to help provide dogs of all walks of life with the best dry and wet food to aid them in their daily activities. “It has been a pleasure involving myself in all aspects of the family business. Starting on the ‘factory floor’, as my father did, was an extremely humbling and rewarding experience. I spend my time in Suffolk accompanied by two lovely (and sometimes ‘naughty’) black labradors. It is a privilege to be judging The Field’s Top Dog Awards. It promises to be a fantastic competition, and I look forward to seeing the high-quality and entertaining entrants.”
SKINNER’S
Skinner’s is delighted to be supporting The Field’s Top Dog Awards in its inaugural year. Being one of the oldest heritage pet food brands in the UK (established in 1688) and still family-run, there are strong synergies between Skinner’s and The Field. We enjoy supporting many dog-related events all over the UK, and The Field’s Top Dog Awards are no exception. We are immensely privileged to be supporting this event and would like to wish the competitors the best of luck.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
- Nominees (“Nominees”) must be UK residents, excluding FUTURE’s current and past employees. Promoter of the Top Dog Awards (“Awards”): Future Publishing Ltd (“FUTURE”), which has its registered offices located at the Quay House, The Ambury, Bath, BA1 1UA and is a company registered in England and Wales under company number 02008885.
- Method of Nomination
♦ Online: You can go to the website at www.thefield.co.uk or https://www.futureevents.uk/topdogawards and follow the instructions to complete the relevant online nomination form.
- Start date for entries: 00:00 on 12 February 2024
- Closing date for entries: 23:59 on 30 April 2024
- Voting opens on 28 May 2024 and closes on 18 June 2024
- Eligibility excludes employees (including their families, including any live-in partner), any of the category sponsors, FUTURE’s printers and agents and anyone materially connected to the administration of the Awards.
♦ There is no limit on the number of nominations you may submit.
♦ You can nominate yourself or someone else, but it is your responsibility to obtain permission from the person you are nominating before submitting the nomination.
♦ If you are under eighteen (18) years old, you must have the permission of your parent or legal guardian to submit a nomination and you must provide the name and daytime telephone number of your parent or legal guardian on request.
♦ For Nominees under 18 years old, you must obtain consent from their parent or legal guardian before you nominate them for the award and you must provide the name and daytime telephone number of their parent or legal guardian on request.
♦ If any individual under 18 years old appears in a nominated photograph you must obtain consent from their parent or legal guardian for the photograph to be used in accordance with these terms and conditions.
♦ FUTURE reserves the right to contact the relevant parent or legal guardian to check consent and to exclude nominations for which the requisite consent has not been given.
♦ Nominees must be available to be contacted between 24 June and 5 September 2024.
♦ If you are shortlisted and/or a winning Nominee, you agree to take part in any interviews, photographic shoots and post-winning publicity surrounding the Awards as may be asked by FUTURE and/or selected partners; and consent for FUTURE and selected partners to use the above-mentioned images and interviews howsoever they see fit, including for promotional purposes, with no financial claim.
♦ You retain all rights you have in the copyright and other intellectual property rights comprising your entry but, by entering the Competition, you grant Future, its licensees and the competition sponsor, the right free of charge to republish your entry in any medium or format.
♦ In the event that you are nominating someone else for the Awards, it is your responsibility to make the Nominee aware of these terms and conditions.
♦ Proof of eligibility must be provided upon request.
♦ Nominations submitted online using methods generated by a script, macro or the use of automated devices will be void. Nominations that are incomplete, illegible or indecipherable will not be valid and will be deemed void. Use of a false name or address will result in disqualification.
♦ No nominations or photographs can be returned.
- Prizes:
♦ There are 10 categories: Best Retrieve (Labrador, spaniel and pointer), Best Retrieve (all other breeds), Most Promising Newcomer, Best Family Dog, Best Rehomed Dog, Best Gundog Puppy Photograph, Best Working Dog Photograph, Naughtiest Dog, Ex-service Dog Award, Best Assistance Dog.
♦ The shortlisted Nominees are responsible for any cost or expenses incurred in attending the Awards ceremony.
♦ The Prizes are as stated and are not transferable to another individual. No cash or other alternatives will be offered. The Prizes cannot be used in conjunction with any other special offer.
♦ Prizes are subject to availability. FUTURE accepts no responsibility whatsoever for elements of the Prizes being withdrawn. In the event of a prize being unavailable, FUTURE reserves the right to offer an alternative prize of equal or greater value.
♦ If applicable, the Prizes are subject to the terms and conditions of the relevant sponsors or prize supplier which will be provided to the Winner when booking the Prize or with the Prize.
- Nomination Selection Process
♦ All nominations received by the closing date and time will be considered. A shortlist for each category will be selected by the editorial team. The shortlists for five categories will be sent to a judging panel and the other five categories will be put forward for a public vote.
♦ The shortlisted Nominees will be selected by the editorial team from the best stories and photographs and examples of excellence in their nominated category. For further details, refer to the nomination form for information on the specific categories and the judging criteria.
♦ The decisions of the judging panel will be final and no correspondence will be entered into over the decisions.
♦ Failure to respond to information requested by FUTURE, failure to provide a valid UK address for delivery, or failure to meet the eligibility requirements may result in forfeiture of the Prize.
- Use of information provided
♦ All nominations will become the property of FUTURE. FUTURE accepts no responsibility for nominations unsuccessfully submitted.
♦ By submitting a nomination form, you consent to give FUTURE a royalty-free, non-exclusive licence to use, reproduce, modify, publish, create derivative works from, and display the nomination (and any photograph included with the nomination) in whole or in part, on a worldwide basis, and to incorporate it singly or collectively into other works in any form, media or technology now known or later developed (including, without limitation, magazines and online), including for promotional or marketing purposes. If necessary, you will sign any necessary documentation that may be required for FUTURE to make use of the non-exclusive rights you are granting to use the nomination (and any photograph included with the nomination).
♦ FUTURE reserve the right to make the nomination and all reproductions thereof available, either wholly or in part, in any manner or form whatsoever and in any medium or format, either separately or in conjunction with any other content.
♦ FUTURE reserves the right to publish names, photographs and country of residence of any Winner. The Winner agrees to the use of their name, photograph and disclosure of county of residence.
♦ You agree to waive all moral rights or any similar personal rights in any nomination you submit.
♦ Any personal information, including without limitation, your and the Nominee’s name, age, address (including postcode) and/or email address will be used by FUTURE in accordance with its privacy policy available at https://www.futureplc.com/privacy-policy/ .
♦ Your information and the information of the Nominee may be shared with the relevant class sponsor — Skinner’s Ltd.
- General
♦ By submitting a nomination you agree to be bound by these terms and conditions.
♦ Your submission of nominations is not dependent on any purchase.
♦ No responsibility can be accepted for entries lost, damaged or delayed in the post, or due to computer error in transit.
♦ FUTURE reserves the right to hold void, suspend, cancel or amend the Awards at any time. FUTURE reserves the right to change these terms and conditions at any time.
♦ FUTURE also reserves the right to cancel individual nominations without liability to affected participants where such nominations do not, in the opinion of FUTURE, enter into the spirit of the Awards or if the security or proper administration of the Awards or the validity of a nomination is adversely affected. In the event of cancellation, termination or suspension, FUTURE may, at their discretion, select a winner from eligible, non-suspect or unaffected nominations, received prior to the event requiring such cancellation, termination or suspension.
♦ Insofar as is permitted by law, FUTURE, their agents or distributors will not in any circumstances be responsible or liable to compensate the winner(s) or accept any liability for any loss, damage, personal injury or death occurring as a result of taking up the prize except where it is caused by the negligence of FUTURE, their agents or distributors or that of their employees. Your statutory rights are not affected.
♦ In the event of a discrepancy between these terms and conditions and the details in the promotional material, the details in these terms and conditions shall prevail.
♦ These terms and conditions shall be governed by the laws of England and Wales and any dispute shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts.