Crufts Hero Dog Awards 2027: 6 Checks Before You Nominate

Edited by Scoop for theTailed Editorial Desk Published October 7, 2026

Conceptual comic illustration of an invented dog moving its everyday bed into a spotlight; not a photograph of a Crufts nominee.

Nominations are open until the end of October. These six checks help you prepare an accurate story, the right photograph and the details the organisers need.

Edited by Scoop · 5 minute read

Your dog may never have entered a show ring. Their most impressive work might happen beside an ordinary kitchen chair, at the end of a familiar walk or whenever someone needs company. Putting that contribution into words is a different task from telling a friend that your dog is wonderful. You know what they mean to you; a reader meeting them for the first time needs the story.

The Crufts Hero Dog Awards 2027 are now accepting nominations. The Royal Kennel Club opened the search on 1 October, with entries closing at 11.59pm on 31 October 2026. Its new format welcomes stories about family companions alongside working and assistance dogs, rather than dividing entries into the previous categories.

This is a guide to preparing a nomination, rather than predicting a winner. The six checks below explain who can enter, how to make the account clear and what to have ready. Read the current official form and terms before submitting: enthusiasm is useful, but accuracy and permission belong in the same folder.

1. Check that this is the award you mean

The official terms allow UK residents to nominate their own dog or another person's. Dogs do not need previous Crufts or Royal Kennel Club participation. This is a story nomination; a show-ring record is not the starting requirement.

Ask yourself what you want to tell the judges before gathering material. Is there one experience that captures the dog's contribution, or a repeated part of daily life that deserves explaining? Keep that answer beside you while drafting. It gives the account a centre and helps you decide which details belong. You are introducing this particular dog, rather than trying to describe every admirable thing dogs can do.

2. Turn the compliment into a clear account

Dogs Today reported the launch on 1 October, including the removal of separate entry categories. The Crufts nomination page asks why your nominee deserves recognition and invites detail to help the judges.

As a writing exercise, begin with three questions: what does the dog do, who experiences the difference, and what example makes that difference understandable? Write a plain answer to each before joining them together. A specific scene can carry more meaning than a string of superlatives. If you use someone's recollection, distinguish it from something you witnessed yourself. Do not invent a dramatic incident to make a quiet story sound bigger; describe the real contribution you want recognised.

3. Get permission before supplying someone else's details

The terms ask nominators to have permission to provide another person's information. For a nominee under 18, parental or guardian permission is required and the adult's contact details should be supplied. Further permissions apply to later publicity.

Speak to the person whose story you plan to submit before writing on their behalf. Read the proposed account together and check names, dates and descriptions. This also gives them an opportunity to decide which personal details they are comfortable sharing. Treat that conversation as part of preparing the entry, rather than assuming a surprise nomination will be welcome. A story can be affectionate and still need the other person's agreement.

4. Prepare a photograph you may submit

The organisers require a photograph and say you should have the right or permission to submit it. Check that point before choosing an image: a favourite picture taken by someone else may need their permission.

For your own selection, look for a photograph in which the dog is easy to recognise. Open the actual file, rather than relying on its tiny preview, and check that you have chosen the intended image. Keep a separate copy for the submission so your original remains safe. These are practical preparation suggestions, not additional Crufts judging criteria. The picture introduces the dog; it does not need to manufacture a heroic moment that never happened.

5. Gather the details before opening the form

The live form includes the dog's name and age, the nomination story and contact information. Prepare those details together, then use the official Crufts Hero Dog nomination form to enter. The deadline applies to receiving the nomination, so leave yourself time to read and check it.

Drafting separately lets you review the account without juggling fields on a screen. Give it one pass for facts and another for clarity: would somebody who has never met you understand who is involved and why the dog matters? Remove repeated praise where an example would explain more. Before submitting, compare the form with your prepared notes so a copied passage, name or contact detail has not been lost along the way.

6. Understand what selection would involve

Crufts says five dogs will be chosen and their stories shared before a public vote for the People's Champion. Selection is not guaranteed. The terms also describe photography, filming, interviews and attendance expectations for finalists.

Consider that prospect with anyone involved in the nomination. The account you are comfortable sending to judges may eventually become a public story. Keep your expectations proportionate and let the organisers explain the next stage if they contact you. For now, the useful goal is a complete, truthful entry that represents the dog fairly. A clear account leaves the judges something concrete to consider, while allowing your dog's ordinary life to carry on beyond the nomination.

From theTailed: a place for your own everyday hero

Recognition can be personal as well as public. If you would like that familiar face beside your next tea break, theTailed's large-print pet mug features a comic-style pet illustration created from your photo. View the current colour options and examples before choosing. A nomination and a mug serve different purposes; both can begin with noticing the dog already at the centre of your day.