FIDO Awards 2026 celebrated their 20th anniversary with the awards ceremony for the Doggy ‘Oscars’, the prestigious FIDOS (For Incredible Dogs On Screen) on Sunday 1st March 2026 at the BFI.

By Toby Rose

FIDO Awards 2026 celebrated their 20th anniversary with the awards ceremony for the Doggy ‘Oscars’, the prestigious FIDOS (For Incredible Dogs On Screen) on Sunday 1st March 2026 at the British Film Institute on Stephen Street in London.

British films were wagging their collective tails with joy with wins for Pillon, I Swear , Hamnet and Dragonfly which also won the BFI Best In World Award. All the canine stars from those films were in attendance.

The FiDogManitarian Award, honouring an individual who organises a unique celebration of the bond between canines and the human race, was presented to May Wong, co-founder of Rescue Dogs of London and George & Lulu’s Adventures podcast.

As a special 20th FIDO anniversary award, the Creature Clothes Crown was presented to Dogspiracy, Paul Crompton’s documentary that exposes illegal puppy mills and puppy smuggling in US. There is an added doggy connection since the film has been released by Bulldog Distribution in UK.

Among the star presenters were pop legend Holly Johnson, actress and All Dogs Matter ambassador Michelle Collins, actor Jean Christophe Bouvet (Emily In Paris), actress Monica Dolan (Mr Bates vs.The Post Office), and composer Alfie Godfrey (Mission Impossible – The Final Reckoning). Director Jessica Swale recorded a special acceptance speech on video.

Nestling firmly between the BAFTAs and the Oscars, the event was hosted by the founder of Palm Dog and FIDOS, Toby Rose. Many of the jury members of top film journalists presented the awards including Anna Smith from the Girls On Film podcast; Rita Di Santo of FIPRESCI; Joe Utichi, film critic; Tim Robey of The Daily Telegraph with his beagle Nina; and Damon Wise of Deadline with his cockapoo Bosie.

FIDO AWARD CATEGORY WINNERS 2026Historical HoundWinner: Hamnet (dir. Chloé Zhao) - Toad the Jack RussellAlso nominated: Nuremberg (dir. James Vanderbilt) - aristocratic retrievers Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale (dir. Simon Curtis) - Isis the yellow labrador retriever

Rom Com RoverWinner: Pillion (dir. Harry Lighton) - Maggie (‘Rosie’) ‘ the RottweilerAlso nominated: The Summer With Carmen (dir. Zacharias Mavroidis) - Nala, the chihuahuaIs This Thing On? (dir. Bradley Cooper) - Bradley’s own labradoodle, Charlie

Mutt MomentWinner: I Swear (dir. Kirk Jones) – April (‘Rosie’), the springer spanielAlso nominated: Marty Supreme (dir. Josh Safdie) - Moses, the Belgian Malinois mix The Alto Knights (dir. Barry Levinson) - De Niro’s own pet dogs, Bob (a Maltese) and Nancy (a terrier mix)

Blockbuster BowserWinner: Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning (dir. Christopher McQuarrie) - HuskiesAlso nominated: Superman (dir. James Gunn – Krypto, CGI clone of director James Gunn’s dog, OzuNobody 2 ( dir. Timo Tjahjanto) - Carbon, a shepherd-husky mix

Comedy CanineWinner: Merv (dir. Jessica Swale) – Gus, a terrier-mix rescue dogAlso nominated: The Roses (dir. Jay Roach) - Rottweiler, belonging to Alison Janney’s characterThe Naked Gun (dir. Akiva Schaffer) - Buddy, the labrador retriever

Horror HoundsWinner: Good Boy (dir. Ben Leonberg) - Indy, the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling RetrieverAlso nominated: Frankenstein (dir Guillermo del Toro) - real and CGI working dogs Together (dir. Michael Shanks) - a blue heeler, and a mixed breed

Femme Fido - in recognition of this year’s fab female-focused FIDOs contendersWinner: Dragonfly (dir. Paul Andrew Williams) – Dixie (‘Sabre’), the American bulldog

Also nominated: Die My Love (dir. Lynne Ramsay) – Creature and Yeti, who play the couple’s dogChristy (dir. David Michôd) – Casey, the pomeranian

BFI Best In World Award Dragonfly (dir. Paul Andrew Williams) – Dixie (Sabre’) the American bulldog

Creature Clothes Crown Award Dogspiracy. Documentary directed by Paul Crompton

The Caravan Cup (chosen by sponsors Caravan Restaurant) The Summer With Carmen (dir. Zacharias Mavroidis) - Nala (‘Carmen’), the chihuahua

FiDogmanitarian Award

The FiDogManitarian Award is presented to May Wong, co-founder of Rescue Dogs of London and continuing charity work including the Hyde Park Cockaopoo Meetup and Christmas Jumper Parade Walk. She’s also an award-winning blogger with Miss Darcy’s Adventures now George & Lulu’s Adventures, which aims to share adventures with other dog owners to encourage them to share their daily life with their dogs.

www.thefidoawards.com