Cat

2026 Cutest Cat Contest

We're looking for your feline friends that you’re eager to show off in our Cutest Cat Contest, sponsored by CareCredit....

Vote Now | Voting closes May 1, 2026 at 12:00 AM

Voting info

Voting ends: May 1, 2026 at 12:00 AM

Less than 24 hours left!

Time left

days hours min sec

Votes per person: 5

About this contest & rules

About this contest

We're looking for your feline friends that you’re eager to show off in our Cutest Cat Contest, sponsored by CareCredit.

Submit a high-resolution photo of your cat or kitten for a chance at stardom in Washingtonian.

Submissions will be accepted starting March 16th, and the deadline to enter is 11:59 PM EST on April 19th.

All entrants will be on display in a photo gallery on our website and will receive a personalized, digital faux Washingtonian “Cutest Cat” cover with the cat’s image and name. Voting will happen from April 27th and will close at 11:59 PM EST on April 30th. All entrants will also receive an annual subscription to Washingtonian (if you are already a subscriber, 12 months will be added on to your current term).

A “People’s Choice” favorite will be determined by most votes received during that time period.

Jonathan Wainberg, SVP and GM of Synchrony’s Pet Business, and a panel of judges at Washingtonian, will also select a “Judges’ Pick titleholder.

The two winners will be announced on our Instagram feed on @washingtonianmag, and both will be awarded a full-page feature in a future Washingtonian issue.

Each submission is $35, with a portion of the proceeds to benefit City Dogs & City Kitties Rescue. Multiple entries of the same cat are permitted, but only one subject per photo (i.e. no multiple cats or humans in the same photo). Visit the rules tab for full details.

Key details

Entries accepted
March 16, 2026 – April 20, 2026
Voting period
April 26, 2026 – May 1, 2026
Entry fee
$35.00 per entry
Votes per person
5 vote(s) per voter

Contest Rules

2026 Cutest Cats - Washingtonian

All entries

284 entries

Voting ends
May 1, 2026 at 12:00 AM

Votes per person
5

Less than 24 hours left!

Time left
days hours min sec

  • Tuna

    This handsome guy went from being surrendered to settling into city life. He joins his dad’s work calls (usually uninvit...

  • Bailey

    Bailey is the funniest cat. She hangs with her beagles sisters and I am not sure if she knows she's a cat. This is her...

  • Rory

    Rory is a 6 YO tortie queen who loves: -to make her voice heard -the sound of a wet food can opening -that her mom cha...

  • Perrito

    Perrito is a large lump of love who lives with two humans, another cat, and a Chihuahua in Manassas, Virginia

  • Fernie

    Fernie out walking the DC streets looking for birds and squirrels.

  • Cleo

    I’m a rescue calico Persian cat all the way from Egypt! I love snuggles, purring, making biscuits, playing, and followin...

  • Binx

    If Binx had a say, Halloween would be every day. Perched on her pumpkin throne, she flashes her fangs in a smile —equal...

  • Prue

    Meet Prue, one of the sweetest girls you’ll ever meet and a total cuddle bug. Named after The Great British Baking Show...

  • Chili

    A rare orange female and certified angel!

  • Plum

    In her finest attire!

  • Cassian

    Gives the phrase "cat got your tongue" a whole new meaning! Cassian is a sweet boy living in NW Washington DC, adopted l...

  • Kitty

    Orange cat

  • Paris

    Paris has many toys but the banana has remained her favorite!

  • Baklava

    Supermodels study her withering stare. World Leaders have attempted to trim her nails. They did not try again. She doe...

  • Circe

    Circe is always on the hunt, whether for her toy mice, plastic springs or favorite feathers on a string. She spends her...

  • Humphrey

    Humphrey is the fluffiest boy. He is a one year old ragdoll kitten who loves watching the metro from his corner apartmen...

  • Sunchip

    The cutest most curious Scottish fold you’ll ever meet

  • Pootie

    We love to rub her buddha belly she brings us good luck and she is our little bestie 🤩

  • Erik

    Erik cleans out all the old cat toys on his first day in his adopted home. His eyes are sometimes indistinguishable from...

  • The Triplets

    Three kittens that we were fostering.

  • Scooter

    Scooter is a ball of energy! He loves the pursuit of tiny mice, his toy of choice. He also enjoys a game of chase with...

  • Monty

    Monty (a.k.a. Bubba) is missing his upper left fang, so he’s always wearing a smirk that happens to fit any mood he’s in...

  • Junie

    Junie is the sweetest, cuddliest, most playful 2 year old! She was rescued from the streets of Cairo, Egypt where she wa...

  • Winston

    Winston

  • LokiMochi

    A real sweetie princess of a fluff ball who knows how to give you the most earnest face. She just wants all of your mone...

  • Frankie

    This is Frankie. She’s 9 years old and her favorite hobbies include watching birds from her favorite chair, singing at t...

  • Spot

    He is a Russian Blue kitty, named after Lt. Data’s cat in Star Trek Next Generation.

  • Tuck aka “Little Man”

    Little Man is a 4-year-old polydactyl Norwegian Forest cat—fluffy, chatty, and very in charge. Morning biscuits, evening...

  • Katie

    Katie is a Hurricane Maria refugee who was adopted via City Dogs and City Kitties Rescue. She loves flopping over and ta...

  • Dobby the House Cat

    Dobby is a free elf and spends her time letting everyone, including her stuffed animals, know it. While she refuses to w...

  • Pepper Pot

    Pepper is our 4Paws Merrifield foster rescued from the DC streets so matted that she required a lion shave and removal o...

  • Castiel

    Castiel, a Marlee's Misfits rescue cat, supurrvising trivia (Carlyle House in the background). This lovable guy lives at...

  • Simba

    Grace in every whisker, personality in every glance

  • Mulligan

    Mulligan is a one-year-old Scottish Fold rescue from Kuwait. Quite possibly the chillest cat ever, he spends his time n...

  • Bailey

    Bailey, a gray cat with blue eyes, gazed upward in contemplation.

  • Whitley Walton

    Whitley is a sweet, five-year old exotic shorthair who loves squeezies, baby carrots, and mint.

  • Tallulah

    Tallulah is a CDCK adoptee herself! She likes posting up next to you, being cradled like a baby sunbathing on her human'...

  • Charlotte

    Charlotte’s mother was a diplomat and her father was a tycoon. She performs at a jazz bar where she is known for her mys...

  • Wagyu

    Wagyu has her eyes on the prize!