Barkademy Awards 2026 – Official Rules
NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED.
1. Sponsor. The Barkademy Awards (the "Awards") are sponsored by Triple-B Media, LLC, 116 Washington Avenue, 3rd Floor, North Haven, CT 06473 ("Sponsor"), operator of Bark TV.
2. Eligibility. The Awards are open only to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia who are 18 or older (or the age of majority in their state of residence) at the time of entry. Employees of Sponsor, its affiliates, and the judges, and members of their immediate families or households, are not eligible to win. Entries from ineligible persons are void. Sponsor may verify eligibility at any time.
3. Entry Period. The Awards begin on September 15, 2026, and end at 11:59 p.m. ET on the end date posted at watchbark.tv and watchbarktv.com (the "Entry Period"). Sponsor may extend the Entry Period by posting a new end date at watchbark.tv and watchbarktv.com. Sponsor’s computer is the official timekeeping device.
4. How to Enter. Upload a photo or video through the entry form on the Bark TV website (watchbark.tv or watchbarktv.com), or by scanning a Barkademy QR code shown on Bark TV, social media, or elsewhere, which links to the same form. Choose a category, complete the entry form, and accept these Official Rules. Entry is free. Entrants may submit a dog they don’t own. Sponsor may disqualify duplicate or excessive entries. Entries that are incomplete, late, or submitted by automated means are void.
5. Categories. The 2026 categories are Cutest (Pawwwww); Best Trick (Houndini); Bark of the Year (Raise the Roof); Celebrity Lookalike (Pup Culture); Owner Lookalike (Twinning); Best Road Trip Buddy (Calling All Curs); Best Pup Cup (Muttstache); Best Dive (Whatta Waterdog); Best Reunion (I’m Not Curying, You’re Curying); and Working Dog of the Year (Pooch the Clock). Sponsor may move an entry to a better-fitting category, or combine or cancel any category.
6. Submission Requirements. Each submission must:
be the entrant’s original work, or one the entrant has the right to submit;
not infringe anyone’s copyright, trademark, privacy, publicity, or other rights;
not contain obscene, offensive, defamatory, or unlawful content, or show animal cruelty or unsafe treatment of an animal;
not include third-party logos, brands, or copyrighted music, unless the entrant has the rights to them.
Except in categories that call for a person (such as Owner Lookalike and Best Reunion), submissions should show the dog only. If a person appears, Sponsor may ask for a dog-only version, or crop, blur, or edit the person out. The entrant represents that every identifiable person in the submission (or the parent or guardian of any minor) has consented to its submission and use as described in these Rules.
7. License. By entering, the entrant grants Sponsor and its affiliates a free, non-exclusive, sublicensable, worldwide, perpetual, irrevocable license to use, reproduce, edit, adapt, distribute, display, and publicly perform the submission, along with the entrant’s name, the dog’s name, the entrant’s city and state, and any other information provided, in any means or media now known or hereafter devised. This includes Bark TV, the Barkademy Awards show, websites, apps, social media, and advertising and promotion, without further notice, approval, or compensation, except where prohibited by law. The entrant waives any moral rights in the submission to the extent permitted by law. The entrant keeps ownership of the submission.
8. Judging. A panel of judges selected by Sponsor will pick one winner per category based on these criteria: creativity and originality, 40%; fit with the category, 30%; and overall appeal, 30%. Judges’ and Sponsor’s decisions are final. Sponsor may decline to award any category if it receives too few qualifying entries.
9. Finalist and Winner Releases. As a condition of being featured or awarded, finalists and winners may be required to sign an Affidavit of Eligibility and a Liability/Publicity Release, co-signed by a parent or guardian if applicable. Sponsor may also require releases from identifiable people shown in the submission. If required documents aren’t signed and returned, or a winner can’t be reached, Sponsor may disqualify the entry and award the prize to another entrant.
10. Prizes. Each category winner receives a Barkademy Awards statue and a package of products from participating vendors (total approximate retail value: less than $500) and will be featured on a Barkademy Awards special on Bark TV. Prizes are non-transferable, and no cash or other substitution is allowed, except that Sponsor may substitute a prize of equal or greater value. Sponsor may share winners’ names and shipping details with prize vendors to deliver prizes. Winners pay all taxes. Sponsor will issue an IRS Form 1099 where required.
11. Winner Announcement. Winners will be notified by email and announced on Bark TV on a date to be announced at watchbark.tv and watchbarktv.com.
12. No Guarantee. Submitting doesn’t guarantee that an entry will be selected, featured, or aired.
13. Content Removal. Sponsor may reject, disqualify, edit, or remove any submission, and disqualify any entrant who tampers with the entry process or violates these Rules, at its sole discretion.
14. Communications. Unless the entrant opts out on the entry form, Sponsor and its affiliates may send the entrant news, updates, and offers, including offers from Barkademy prize vendors. Sponsor doesn’t give entrants’ contact information to vendors for their own marketing, unless an entrant asks Sponsor to do so for a specific offer. Entrants can unsubscribe at any time using the link in any email. See the Privacy Policy.
15. Indemnity and Release. Entrants agree to indemnify and hold harmless Sponsor, its affiliates, the judges, and their officers, employees, and agents (the "Released Parties") from any claim arising out of the entrant’s submission, participation, or breach of these Rules, including claims of infringement or violation of privacy or publicity rights. Entrants release the Released Parties from liability for any injury, loss, or damage arising from participation or from acceptance or use of a prize.
16. Limitations. The Released Parties aren’t responsible for lost, late, incomplete, or corrupted entries, or for technical failures of any kind. If the Awards can’t run as planned for any reason beyond Sponsor’s reasonable control, Sponsor may cancel, modify, or suspend them and judge eligible entries received before that point.
17. Disputes. These Rules are governed by the laws of the State of Connecticut, without regard to its conflict-of-law rules. Any dispute will be resolved individually, without any class action, in the state or federal courts serving North Haven, Connecticut, and each entrant consents to the jurisdiction of those courts.
18. Winners List. Sponsor will post the list of winners on the Bark TV website for at least thirty (30) days after the winners are announced.