The FIDO Awards (For Incredible Dogs On Screen) is a UK film-awards gala celebrating the very best canine performances on screen – from heroic labradors to animated pups. It was founded in 2007 by British film journalist Toby Rose, who had already launched Cannes’s famous Palm Dog Award (for dogs at the film festival). In fact, the FIDOs were conceived as Palm Dog’s London sibling. Ever since, we’ve been putting pups in the spotlight and honoring their onscreen skills (both live-action and animated).

We’re playful by nature: the press has cheekily dubbed us “the Canine Oscars” (and even the “Oscars of the canine world”). Each March our red-carpet ceremony – usually held in London at the BFI Southbank – dovetails with awards season. In March 2026 we’ll be “barking up the red carpet” to mark our 20th anniversary – that’s two decades of wag-worthy film fun!

Paw-some Categories

Every year we collar winners in a range of quirky categories. Our top prize is "Best in World" (since 2007) for the year’s standout dog performance. Other collars recognize genre stars – Blockbuster Bowser for action heroes and Comedy Canine for funny hounds – and we even added "Dog Dox" in 2021 for the best dog-centric documentary. Whether it’s an Oscar-winning role (hello, Uggie from The Artist!) or a little mutt stealing a scene, we’ve got a category to celebrate it.

Press & Paws

Our four-legged stars get lots of national attention. The Guardian once quipped “Forget the Oscars, the Fidos are best in show” and routinely calls us the “Canine Oscars”. ScreenDaily similarly dubbed us “the Oscars of the canine world”. Every year The Guardian, The Independent, ScreenDaily and other outlets run stories about the FIDOS. In short, people can’t resist a dog in a dinner jacket – and our sponsors love the feel-good headlines!