The annual competition has supported Newspapers in Education (NIE), a program that supplies the Daily Press to local schools, since 2010.

“The goal of (NIE) is to promote literacy by bringing newspapers into the classroom to keep students informed, motivated and interested in reading,” wrote Noah Johnson for the Daily Press in 2024.

The Daily Press has participated in NIE, a national program, for close to 40 years.

In the tri-county area, Pet Idol is the major fundraiser for NIE. However, now that digital newspapers are being sent to the schools, the cost has been reduced, so the Daily Press decided to share this year’s funds.

Holly the Maltese, who was owned by Jim and Judy Hebert and passed away in early 2025, was the last Pet Idol and Newspaper in Education mascot. (Courtesy photo, Daily Press file)

Money raised through Pet Idol in 2026 will be split with the Delta Animal Shelter, Daily Press Publisher Sarah Maki was proud to announce.

The Delta Animal Shelter is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that was taken over by a group formerly known as the Delta Area Animal Society after the Delta County Sheriff’s Office stopped running the local shelter in 2011. The Delta Animal Shelter has been operating as a no-kill facility since.

“We are the county’s only animal shelter, providing a safe shelter, food and medical care to over 1200 animals each year,” states delta animal.org. “We are an open-admissions shelter, and turn no animal away. We shelter and provide direct care to any animal in need. Each animal receives compassionate care from our staff and volunteers while they wait to be reunited with their families or to find a new forever home.”

The Pet Idol contest raises funds in two ways: To enter, a pet owner must pay a five-dollar entry fee when submitting a photo and details. Later, when all submissions have been collected, the public may vote for 50 cents per vote. There is no limit, so family and friends often participate in ballot-stuffing to help push their favorite pet to the winner’s circle.

In addition to making the Delta Animal Shelter a joint benefactor, the Daily Press is trying out another new element in 2026. The paper is challenging local businesses to take the opportunity to promote themselves by submitting photos of animals decked out in company swag.

Awol, a pet cat who enjoys playing in the woods and dirt and bay near his home in Ensign Township, may be a contender in this year's Pet Idol contest, which is open for submissions until June 31. (Photo courtesy of R. R. Branstrom)

There are just a couple rules to keep in mind when entering the contest: only one pet is allowed in each photo, and people are not to be included in the shot. Wildlife photos are not acceptable.

All sorts of pet are welcome — dogs and cats are most common, but guinea pigs, lizards, horses and more are encouraged. Past non-traditional entrants have included Hector the cow in 2023 and Commodore Shiny Sides the piranha in 2025.

The ultimate winner of the Pet Idol contest will get a front-page feature article in the Daily Press and will serve as the NIE mascot for the next year.

Recent winners were Holly, a Maltese who was entered in memoriam in 2025; Rip, a Goldendoodle, in 2024; Bennie, an Anatolian Shepherd, in 2023; and Lucky, a service dog, in 2018.

To enter, people may email a photo and required information to smaki@dailypress.net or return the form printed in the Daily Press (today it’s on page B8) either by mail or in-person to 600 Ludington St. in Escanaba. People are reminded that it costs five dollars to enter, so payment will need to be made either over the phone or by bringing or mailing cash, check or card to the Daily Press.

Shown is an example of how the first-place Pet Idol may feature throughout the year. This ad was published in the Daily Press on Dec. 21, 2023 after Bennie the dog won the competition a few months prior. (File)