NEW YORK, March 04, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Know a dog or group of dogs that has made a difference in their community? The AKC Humane FundSM is thrilled to announce that nominations for its 2026 AKC Humane Fund Awards for Canine Excellence (ACE) are open NOW!
Building on the success from last year’s awards, the 2026 ACE Awards will again include expanded categories such as Teams, Search & Rescue – Disaster Response and Search & Rescue – Human Detection.
“The AKC Humane Fund Awards for Canine Excellence shine a light on the remarkable ways dogs contribute to our communities through service, protection, and compassion,” said Brandi Hunter Munden, President of the AKC Humane Fund. “These nominations represent powerful stories of courage and dedication, as well as the people and organizations who support these extraordinary dogs. We are proud to honor their impact and share these inspiring examples of what dogs can achieve.”
Each year, the AKC Humane Fund, a not-for-profit organization, honors dedicated, hardworking dogs making significant contributions to an individual or entire community. Since its creation in 2000, over 130 ACE awards have been presented. Last year’s honorees ranged from a Standard Poodle providing comfort to communities impacted by the California wildfires to an English Springer Spaniel that detects bacteria threatening the bee population.
The AKC Humane Fund Awards for Canine Excellence are proudly sponsored by Eukanuba™. Winners, who will be announced at the end of 2026, will be highlighted in made-for-tv specials on AKC Good Dog TV and will receive $1,000 to be awarded to a pet-related charity of their choice as well as a medallion.
Dogs can be nominated in the following categories:
Uniformed Service K-9
Eligibility: Full-time working K-9s in the realms of city, county, state, or federal law enforcement; the military; firefighting; customs and border patrol; emergency services.
Exemplary Companion
Eligibility: Dogs without formal training or certification that have nonetheless distinguished themselves in some way and have made a meaningful contribution to their owners or communities. Nominees doing therapy work without certification are considered in the Exemplary Companion category.
Search and Rescue
Eligibility: Dogs certified to assist in one of two sub-categories:
- Disaster Response (natural disasters, building collapses, etc.)
- Human Detection (remains, missing persons, and/or gravesite detection)
Therapy Dog
Eligibility: Certified therapy dogs working in hospitals, schools, disaster sites, war zones, and wherever else the affection of a good dog can provide comfort.
Service Dog
Eligibility: Service dogs who enrich the lives of physically or mentally disabled owners, including, but not limited to, guide dogs for the blind, seizure-alert dogs, hearing dogs, balance dogs.
Teams
Eligibility: teams of more than one dog certified to assist in search and rescue (human detection and disaster response), therapy and/or K9 police work.
Anyone, including the dog’s owner or handler, may submit a nomination. Dogs nominated in previous years are eligible for resubmission for these awards. Please note that we don’t accept posthumous nominations.
Submissions for the AKC Humane Fund Awards for Canine Excellence for 2026 must include:
- A digital photograph of dog. Files must be larger than 1MB in size and a minimum of 300 dpi. The photo should feature solely the nominated dog.
- A 500-word-or-less description of how the dog has demonstrated excellence.
- Dog’s call name, breed, age and sex.
- Owner’s/Nominator’s name(s), address, phone number and e-mail address.
Nominations will be accepted until July 1st, 2026 and should be submitted here with a photo sent to [email protected].
For more information about the ACE awards or to nominate a dog, visit AKC.org or the AKC Humane Fund website.
About the AKC Humane Fund
Founded in 2008, the AKC Humane Fund℠ is dedicated to promoting responsible dog ownership through education, outreach, and strategic grant-making. Through its programs, the AKC Humane Fund provides critical support to rescue efforts, assists domestic violence shelters to allow pets to remain with their families, and delivers meaningful resources that help strengthen the bond between dogs and the people who love them.
Contributions to the AKC Humane Fund are fully tax deductible to the extent permitted by law under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
About the American Kennel Club
Founded in 1884, the American Kennel Club is a not-for-profit organization which maintains the largest registry of purebred dogs in the world and oversees the sport of purebred dogs in the United States. The AKC is dedicated to upholding the integrity of its registry, promoting the sport of purebred dogs and breeding for type and function. Along with its more than 4,900 licensed and member clubs and its affiliated organizations, the AKC advocates for the purebred dog as a family companion, advances canine health and well-being, works to protect the rights of all dog owners and promotes responsible dog ownership. More than 26,000 competitions for AKC-registered purebred and mixed breed dogs are held under AKC rules and regulations each year including conformation, agility, obedience, rally, tracking, herding, lure coursing, coonhound events, scent work, hunt tests, field and earthdog tests.
Affiliate AKC organizations include the AKC Humane Fund, AKC Canine Health Foundation, AKC Reunite, the AKC Museum of the Dog, and the AKC Purebred Preservation Bank. For more information, visit www.akc.org.
Photos accompanying this announcement are available at
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a2853099-f2e4-4676-ad37-16f187e8418f
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/1f5d2572-979f-452d-9828-e09a34bdbab6
