Stray cats are the focus of attention in new Japanese photo competition

There is pretty much a photography competition for everything. Whether you shoot striking portraits, stunning landscapes, or mindblowing macro, there’s almost certainly a platform to share your work and be in with the chance of a prize. There are also a few slightly more abstract photography competitions, and perhaps one of the most obscure is Japan’s Stray Cat Photo Award.

In honor of those felines who live a life that much harder than the pampered pets of this world, animal welfare group Tsushima Noraneko has launched the stray cat award to raise awareness.

• Check out the best pet cameras so you can find out what your mischievous pets get up to even when you're away!

All too often, stray cats have a bad rep for being covered in fleas, mangy, often found begging, and generally annoying people but all too often stray cats are the result of human abandonment. Stray cats can become feral if they lose human contact over time but many remain friendly, especially if they are regularly fed by people feeling sorry for them.

The competition hopes to break down the stereotypes of stray cats and encourage photographers to capture these often abandoned animals in a positive light, showing how they interact with humans and each other.

The Stray Cat Photo Award is split into six categories; art, humor, portrait, action, wild cat, and community. Judges will be looking for images that are well-composed and tell a story about the life of stray cats and their relationships with people.

An A2 size print, inclusion in an exhibition, plus an array of seafood caught near Tsushima, an island northwest of the Japanese mainland. Prizes for the category winners consist of various signed photobooks by Japanese photographers, and 50 works will be selected to appear in the exhibition which starts on October 24th at Montbell Okachimachi store salon space.

There is a small participation fee to enter the competition, plus an application form that needs to be filled out. To find out more information about who is judging the competition and to get some inspiration or submissions, head to the Tsushima Noraneko website.

If you want to equip yourself, perhaps check our best wildlife lens guide as well as the best pet photography tips (depending on the temperament of the strays you meet!)

If you enjoyed this why not check out these 10 pet photography tips and start taking amazing pet portraits at home!