ALIVE Rescue Best in Rescue Photo Contest: How Voting Works & How to Win

What is the 6th Annual Best In Rescue and who is behind it?

ALIVE Rescue is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that was founded in March 2008 as a rescue and safe haven for animals, and its Best In Rescue photo contest works as the group's signature summer fundraiser. The rescue lists its correspondence address as PO Box 39111, Chicago, IL 60639, and the 2026 edition ran under the title 6th Annual Best In Rescue. Balloting takes place on GoGo Photo Contest, a service that builds donate-to-vote photo contests for organizations and individuals, at its bestinrescue2026 contest address.

The invitation on the ballot aims squarely at pet owners: does your cat, dog or other creature have what it takes to be a cover model? Entrants share a favorite photo, the money raised supports homeless animals in need, and contestants also chase swag for themselves. Part charity drive and part prize chase, the format separates this ballot from the free community favorites polls scattered across Illinois.

Quick facts

Item	Detail
Organizer	ALIVE Rescue
Contact address	PO Box 39111, Chicago, IL 60639
Status	501(c)(3) non-profit founded March 2008
Edition on the ballot	6th Annual Best In Rescue (2026)
Prior documented cycle	5th Annual Best In Rescue (2025)
Ballot platform	GoGo Photo Contest
Vote price	$1 per vote
Entry types	Dogs, cats and other creatures

When did the 2026 edition run, and which dates are fixed?

Two cycles of this programme are documented: the 5th Annual Best In Rescue in 2025 and the 6th Annual edition in 2026. For the 2026 run, ALIVE Rescue opened photo submissions on May 1 and kept them open through May 31, then moved directly into voting. The rescue's own contest page printed the voting window as June 1 through June 30, 2026.

A prize note rewarded fast starts: the top votes between June 1 and June 7 earned $25 in swag bucks to spend with ALIVE Rescue. The overall Top Creature prize listing remained marked as coming soon on the ballot. Once voting closed, the ballot switched to a contest-has-ended notice, the usual state for a finished round.

Timeline of the 2026 cycle

Stage	2026 dates	Notes
Photo submissions	May 1 to May 31	Announced as open through May 31
Voting window	June 1 to June 30	Printed on ALIVE Rescue's contest page
Early prize stretch	June 1 to June 7	$25 in swag bucks for top votes
Following edition	Expected 2027	If the annual rhythm holds

If the rescue keeps its annual rhythm, a seventh edition would follow in 2027, with fresh submission and voting dates printed on that year's ballot. Terms that never reached the published material for the sixth round include a ceiling on contributions, any repeat-giving rule and eligibility terms for entrants; confirm on the live ballot each cycle.

How does a supporter actually vote on the Best In Rescue ballot?

The mechanic comes from the platform itself. GoGo Photo Contest describes its format as donate-to-vote, where $1 equals 1 vote, and the Best In Rescue ballot adopts it outright. A supporter opens the ballot during the June window, browses the entered pets and picks the photo worth backing. Setting a vote quantity fixes the donation total, and completing checkout posts those votes to the entry's standings.

Category headings printed across the ballot pages include Best Dog, Best Cat and Best Creatures, though the rescue never presents those phrases as the complete slate of classes. A Sign In option appears among the ballot's menu links, yet no page text says whether giving demands an account first, so a first-time supporter can simply follow the checkout prompts.

Because each vote costs money, the ballot behaves differently from a free click-poll: support has to be organized in advance, and the June 1-7 prize stretch rewards campaigns that move early. The steps above reflect the ballot as it ran in 2026 on the GoGo Photo Contest site; a 2027 edition would presumably ride the same platform unless ALIVE Rescue moves it.

How does this pet fundraiser sit beside Illinois's other public votes?

Illinois readers meet this ballot in a crowded neighbourhood. The state's public-vote calendar includes the Chicago Reader's Best of Chicago (see its page) along with the People's Choice vote staged by BAGI around its Parade of Homes, Sauk Valley Favorites in Sterling, Chicago Style Weddings Best Of, CommunityVotes Peoria IL and CommunityVotes Rockford.

All of those neighbours run on a free-click model aimed at consumers picking favorite local businesses, venues or services. The Best In Rescue ballot stands apart on both counts: the thing being ranked is a pet rather than a merchant, and the currency is a $1 donation rather than a free click. Proceeds flow to ALIVE Rescue's work for homeless animals, which changes how a supporter thinks about volume.

Platform heritage differs too. GoGo Photo Contest exists to host nonprofit fundraisers, while the free ballots typically ride on community-voting or publisher systems. The seasonal slot differs as well, since the rescue ties submissions to May and voting to June. Prizes lean on swag and a cover-model opportunity rather than titles printed in a publication, so a campaign here is donor outreach in a way a free poll never demands.

What helps an entry collect votes in a donate-to-vote contest?

Momentum in this contest comes from outreach, not clicks. Since every vote is a $1 donation, an entry climbs when its owner persuades friends, relatives and coworkers to give, and the June 1-7 stretch adds a $25 swag-bucks reason to push hard in the opening week. Sharing the direct entry link with a clear word about where the money goes, homeless animals in ALIVE Rescue's care, tends to convert better than a bare appeal.

The rescue has issued no published guidance on outside vote services, so anyone weighing paid support should hold that silence up against the ballot's charity purpose. Broader tactics for strengthening a public-vote entry, timing, sharing and message discipline among them, are collected in our guide to earning more votes online.