Shelter videos have won big at the 2026 Wagsies Awards, the annual honours for animal welfare organisations using video to find homes for pets in need. Hill’s Pet Nutrition and The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement announced the winners at the association’s annual conference in Chattanooga this week, according to PR Newswire and the association’s own awards page.
“Great storytelling has the power to connect us, inspire us and move us to action,” said Carrick Massey, senior vice president of marketing at Hill’s US. “This year’s winners bring that power to life through their extraordinary creativity and vision.”
The people’s choices
The People’s Choice Awards, decided by public voting on Hill’s website, went to two shelters. In the smaller-budget category, Central Missouri Humane Society of Columbia, Missouri, won for “Who is CMHS”. In the larger-budget category, Pasadena Humane of Pasadena, California, won for “Timmy”. Each People’s Choice winner received a trophy and $10,000.
Ten organisations were selected as finalists overall, each receiving $1,000 — including the Anderson County Animal Rescue Foundation, Lollypop Farm, Nevada Humane Society, Silverstray Social, SPCA Florida and SPCA of Texas.
The professional picks
The Professional Choice Awards, judged by animal welfare marketing experts, went to Roice-Hurst Humane Society of Grand Junction, Colorado, in the smaller-budget category, for “Dealin’ Man Dan’s Fur-Ever Lot” — a playful homage to classic car commercials that presents adoptable pets as different “models” with unique qualities. In the larger-budget category, SICSA Pet Adoption and Wellness Center of Washington Township, Ohio, won for “This is SICSA 2026”, showcasing pet food donations, accessible vaccines, preventive care and help for domestic violence victims with pets.
The awards build on Hill’s longstanding Food, Shelter & Love programme, which the company says has helped more than 17 million cats and dogs find new homes and provided more than $300 million in nutrition to partner shelters. For the winning shelters, a video was never just a video: it was the difference between a pet being overlooked and a pet being seen.
