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

  • Niblet

    Niblet is a Siamese cat. His hobbies include literature and making biscuits.

  • Aslin

    Tan and white cat who rules the house

  • Kida

    Kida is a fluffy, opinionated and chatty girl. She loves to chase birds in the window and meow at all hours!!!

  • Bean

    Bean and his angsty-teen CATtitude

  • Pepper

    Pepper, Chief Snuggler. Tiny tiger. Champion of Warm Laundry and Queen of the Side-Eye. Collects sunbeams, inspects soc...

  • Marie Antoinette

    Sitting upright with her paws crossed, Marie Antoinette (a white Turkish Angora) shows her distinctive fluffy ruff and f...

  • Adeline

    In this photo you can see Adeline, my little shadow, at only 7 weeks old! Her big blue eyes are always searching for the...

  • Pepper

    Meet Pepper, the cutest calico kitty in Woodley Park! When she's not staring down mean black squirrels through the windo...

  • Toast

    I was told we were going to Red Lobster. Not that I would BECOME Red Lobster.

  • Maya

    Maya, a seal bicolor Ragdoll, sitting on her throne.

  • Alfredo Bucatini

    Alfredo (Freddy) enjoys curling up in the bathroom sink!

  • Hachi

    Hachi (Hachi Tiger Mittens Ho) takes a while to come out of her shell—but once she does, she’s yours forever. She enjoys...

  • Ziva "The Diva"

    Meet Ziva, a Bethesda Diva. She enjoys slaying the catwalk, striking a pose in the sun, and chasing her birdie teaser fr...

  • Winnie

    Winnie is enjoying the nice sunny weather in DC outside on her patio.

  • Sushi

    Cat got your tongue?

  • Astrid

    Astrid is a 3 year old dilute tortie. Likes: greeting her humans at the door, worm on string, and pate. Dislikes: closed...

  • Commanding Cat

    Oliver in a commanders scarf

  • Charlotte

    Charlotte has a hotline that residents can call to speak to Charlotte directly, hear what she did today, or leave a conf...

  • Winston

    Winston

  • Gully

    I’m Gully - part-time alley lookout, part-time king of snoozing. I was rescued from the streets of DC on a chilly Februa...

  • Boo

    Boo is a special needs foster fail who has asthma. But that has not stopped her from being the chattiest most insistent...

  • Venus

    This portrait captures my cat in a favorite spot, perched by the window and calmly watching the world outside. Her golde...

  • Castiel

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

  • A girl with flowers

    No flower is as beautiful as our feline friends. Josie is sweet as a rose.

  • Pinky

    The small, sassy, and mighty, Pinky! This one-year-old tabby from City Kitties is the friendliest cat you’ll meet. At ju...

  • Peggy

    Respect the paw.

  • Phineas

    Phineas is a very talkative orange tabby. His favorite activities are being brushed, being pet, eating, and napping on e...

  • Sneakers

    Sneakers, a seven-toed tabby cat, is showing off her belly waiting for some pets and probably her dinner.

  • The Triplets

    Three kittens that we were fostering.

  • Papaya

    Pic of our cat Papaya

  • oscar

    she brings a lot to the table

  • Plum

    In her finest attire!

  • Fluff

    Our 18 year old cat believes enjoying a churu is a full body experience

  • Gumbo

    Hi, I’m Gumbo! Full-time Scottish Fold, part-time Puss in Boots impersonator. Like a true DC city cat, I love people-wat...

  • Magda

    Magda is #1 in our household! She's a sunshine‑loving sweetheart who could nap for hours in a warm sunbeam. When not coz...

  • Lulu

    Lulu’s response when told not sit on the dining room chairs.

  • Clyde

    Clyde savors the vibe of a low-lit room.

  • Simba

    Grace in every whisker, personality in every glance

  • Ollie

    Ollie is an orange tabby (Somali) who, like his brother Charlie is very friendly and likes to join us for dinner. If an...