The St. Augustine Humane Society has launched its 12th annual Pin Up Paws pet calendar photo contest with a pop art theme this year, “Dig It.”
The fundraiser was created in 2010 to support the nonprofit’s mission of promoting healthy lifelong pet ownership while reducing the rate of relinquishment to shelters.
For a chance to have a local pet featured in the full-color, high-quality calendar, photos and entertaining descriptions are submitted to inform members of the community why they should vote for the pet. Each vote is a $1 donation.
Last year, more than $23,000 was raised by calendar votes and donations to the campaign. The campaign, calendar sales and events will benefit St. Augustine Humane Society’s spay, neuter and surgery clinic, along with services and programs.
The pet with the most votes at the end of the contest will be the first-place winner and will receive the coveted cover spot on the 2023 Pin Up Paws Calendar. Each of the 12 second place winners will be featured on one of the months in the calendar. All first and second-place winners will receive a professional photography session along with gift certificates from Columbia Restaurant as part of the prize package.
The 12 pets with the next highest number of votes will be runners-up and will have the image they submitted to the contest and a brief description of their pet featured in a one-and-a-half-inch space in the calendar. The top 80 pet contestants will have their submitted photos included in a calendar collage.
The “Dig It” calendar will feature the winning pets in a groovy Pop Art scene. Voting ends at 8 p.m. Aug. 13, when winners will be revealed.
Styling and photography sessions will take place with award-winning photographer Addison Fitzgerald, who has donated his talents to the Humane Society since the calendar’s inception. Local fine artist and graphic designer Maribel Angel continues to donate her creative talents to designing the distinctive calendar publication.
The completed calendar will be revealed at the Pin Up Paws Party on Nov. 4 at the Renaissance St. Augustine Historic Downtown Hotel, 6 W. Castillo Drive, St Augustine. The price per ticket is $95 for dinner, live music by Rob Ellis Peck and the Matanzas Inlet Allstars, a silent auction, wine pull, refreshments and more.
The calendars will be available for $12 each in October with purchases available online, by phone or at the St. Augustine Humane Society, in addition to local retailers. The Humane Society is located at 1665 Old Moultrie Road. All proceeds from submissions, votes, sponsorships and sales will benefit its programs and services.
For more information, call 904-829-2737 ext. 111 or email development@staughumane.org. Or go to the contest website at PinUpPaws.com.
