'Children and Animals' photo contest shares beautiful, funny and straight-up adorable best entries

So much better than you average 'children and animals' social media post

Justyna Garczyk-Kleszcz from Poland won the annual Child Photo Competition with this heartwarming shot

A Polish photographer has been named the winner of the latest Child Photo Competition contest for her touching, and adorable, snap of a dog mimicking a little boy as he sits on the floor with his head in his hands.

Justyna Garczyk-Kleszcz’s black and white image was taken for the monthly competition, themed around ‘Children and Animals’, which saw over 1000 photographers submit artworks from the US and Canada to Russia, New Zealand, Uruguay, Malaysia, Brazil, Indonesia and many more.

The aim of the competitions is to offer exposure and recognition to talented but perhaps undiscovered child, baby, newborn and family photographers, while also showcasing the skills of professional artists.

There is no entry charge but only one photograph should be submitted per person. Children featured in the photographs should be no older than 17.


 (Credit: Jennifer Kapala, Canada)


 (Credit: Stephanie Piscitelli, USA)


 (Credit: Marta Obiegla, Poland)

Judges look for “creative approach, artistic quality, emotions and decisiveness” in the submissions and the winner is tasked with setting the next theme.

The next monthly contest is going festive, with the theme set as ‘The Colours of Christmas’. Photographers are invited to send in their best pieces around the “magic of childhood and Christmas” by 30 December.