Dog Chow “Giving You 100” Contest Frequently Asked Questions
Contest Entry
You can submit a story about how your dog “gives you 100” between May 1, 2026 at 12:00 a.m. ET and June 26, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. ET.
Official rules and details about how to compose and submit your entry for the Dog Chow “Giving You 100” Contest—and how to vote on the grand prize winner—are available here.
Any individual who is a legal resident of the 50 United States and District of Columbia who is 18 years or older (or 19 for residents of AL & NE) may submit an entry. The dog featured in the submission must belong to the entrant.
All entries must be submitted through our Dog Chow “Giving You 100” Contest web page to be considered valid. (Please note that an email mechanism will be used and required as part of the 2-factor authentication process to verify each submission is valid.)
No. All completed submissions are given the same level of consideration, regardless of which day they were submitted during the contest entry period. However, there is one incentive to enter promptly—the first 20,000 entrants will be eligible for a $3 Off Dog Chow coupon. (Coupons available while supplies last and ONLY after submitting a contest entry. Once you’ve entered, download and register in the myPurina app to redeem your offer.)
Story Writing
Our dogs “give us 100” in all sorts of unique ways, and no trait or behavior is too insignificant to share if it brightens your day or makes life better for someone in your family. For instance, does your dog have a unique/silly bedtime ritual? An uncanny sense for when you need comforting? Has owning a dog changed you or your family’s life? Is your dog a gifted athlete? These are just a few topics that could inspire a story, but there are many more. Ultimately, an independent judging panel will determine the five finalists based on these criteria: Most Athletic, Most Entertaining, Most Unexpected, Most Heartwarming, and Most Life-Changing.
Your story should be between 500 and 1,200 characters (including spaces). Should you be chosen as a finalist, we reserve the right to edit your story for use in marketing efforts, such as social media posts.
One dog only. Our rules state that there is a maximum of one entry per person. If you own multiple dogs, you must choose ONE individual dog to feature in your one-and-only entry. Attempting to submit more than one entry could result in all your entries being disqualified, so please choose carefully.
No. All entries are final and cannot be removed or resubmitted.
Dog Photos/Video
Yes. At least one photo (maximum of three) is required along with your story. Photos of the eligible dog must be taken by yourself or by a friend or member of your family. You may not use photos taken by a hired photographer or generated by artificial intelligence (AI).
For photos, we accept PNG, GIF, JPG, or JPEG file formats (up to three photos, maximum 5 MB each). Full-color photos are preferred. We recommend photos be hi-res images at least 300 pixels per inch (ppi).
No. A video submission is allowed, but it is purely OPTIONAL and will not play a role in the voting process. However, there’s a chance your video could be chosen to appear in Dog Chow social media or marketing efforts.
Video of the eligible dog must be taken by yourself or by a friend or member of your family. You may not use video taken by a hired videographer or generated by artificial intelligence (AI).
For video, we accept MP4, MOV, or OGG file formats (limit one video, 15–30 seconds, maximum 100 MB).
Video is purely optional. And while it will not play a role in the voting process, there’s a chance your video could be chosen to appear in Dog Chow social media or marketing efforts. Video is a great opportunity to show off your dog’s unique personality.
Video of the eligible dog must be taken by yourself or by a friend or member of your family. You may not use video taken by a hired videographer or generated by artificial intelligence (AI).
When submitting a video, footage should be 15–30 seconds (limit one video, maximum 100 MB). We accept MP4, MOV, and OGG file formats.
No. You may not use photos or video taken by professionals.
For photos, we accept PNG, GIF, JPG, or JPEG file formats (up to three photos, maximum 5 MB each). Full-color photos are preferred. We recommend photos be hi-res images at least 300 pixels per inch (ppi).
If you wish to submit a video, it’s purely optional and will not play a role in the voting process. We accept MP4, MOV, or OGG file formats (limit one video, 15–30 seconds, maximum 100 MB).
Naturally, your dog should be the star! But since the contest is about how your dog is “giving you 100,” it’s okay to include a person alongside your dog if it helps convey the theme of your story.
No. Please make sure you don’t prominently feature any third-party trademarks, logos, artwork, or music with your nomination. Submissions may not violate copyright or trademark rights.
The dog’s face should be clearly visible in the photo. The dog should be free of any shock or choke collars.
No. Photos or videos with filters will not be accepted. Small tweaks to exposure or other settings are okay if they help make the image or video clearer. Please keep other editing to a minimum. Photos with filters or other changes to the dog’s features will not be accepted.
When you successfully submit your entry form, your screen will show a message stating that your entry has been submitted. Unfortunately, we are unable to confirm whether specific individual entries have been received. (Please note that an email mechanism will be used and required as part of the 2-factor authentication process to verify each submission is valid.)
Judging Criteria & Finalist Selection
All eligible submissions received during the contest entry period will be judged by an independent judging panel using the following criteria, percentages, and categories:
- Emotional impact & storytelling (40%)—How moving, heartwarming, or inspiring is the submission? Does it capture the bond between the dog and the owner?
- Relevance to the contest (40%)—How well does the entry reflect how the dog is “giving 100”?
- Cuteness & presentation (20%)—How adorable is the dog featured in the presentation and how well is the submission presented, overall?
The submissions with the highest scores in the following five categories will be finalists: 1) Most Athletic; (2) Most Entertaining; (3) Most Unexpected; (4) Most Heartwarming; and (5) Most Life-changing. All five finalists will win a one-year supply of Dog Chow and could be featured in Dog Chow social media and other marketing efforts. See Official Contest Rules for more details.
Voting & Prizes
The five finalists chosen by the independent judging panel will each receive a one-year supply of Dog Chow. The finalist who becomes the grand prize winner will, in addition, receive a check for $100,000. See Official Contest Rules for more details.
Once the five finalists’ entries are posted on the myPurina mobile app, anyone in the general public who is registered in the app will be eligible to vote for their favorite “Giving You 100” story starting August 10, 2026 through August 21, 2026. The “popular vote” will then be combined with the judges’ scores to determine the winner! A check for $100,000 will be made out to the grand prize winner! See Official Contest Rules for more details, including how many times you can vote.
Yes. The five finalists will receive a one-year supply of Dog Chow. See Official Contest Rules for more details.
Each potential finalist will be notified by the contest sponsor or administrator via email or telephone on or about July 24, 2026 to confirm eligibility.
The potential grand prize winner will be notified by sponsor or administrator by email on or about September 4, 2026.
Voting will be open to the public in the myPurina app from August 10, 2026 through August 21, 2026. You can view the Official Contest Rules for more details on voting.
Our rules state that there is a limit of one vote per person, PER SESSION, in the myPurina app (a session is defined as 30 minutes of activity on the app). You can view the Official Contest Rules for more details on voting.
Only the first 20,000 contest entrants will be eligible for a $3 Off Dog Chow coupon. Coupons are available while supplies last and ONLY redeemable after you’ve submitted a contest entry. Once you’ve entered, download and register in the myPurina app to redeem your offer.