2020 Search for a Superstar Calendar & Diary Competition is now on!
And it’s back to normal for 2020 now we’ve finished making a big old song and dance about reaching our 20th milestone!
On a serious note, we did receive a couple of complaints this year from disappointed customers who didn’t like the celebratory anniversary layout of the dog calendar or the absence of each muse’s story. 2019’s dog calendar was a one-off celebration/artist indulgence and the normal layout will return for 2020’s offering.
There was also upset for the omission of public holiday dates. This was not a printing error on our part but rather our attempt to make the calendar more user-friendly for its (modest) global audience.
Unfortunately, in trying to balance the production cost of a dated product with all the potential buyers notable date needs (UK, Ireland, Australia, America, New Zealand and Europe) we opted to leave the date spaces blank. Over the years we’ve discovered that one of the biggest bugbears for calendar users is small date boxes, those that do not have enough space to write in. Creating a calendar or diary is certainly not rocket science but the design and production considerations put it up there with basic algebra at the very least!
In hindsight, the omission of notable dates was a mistake. We will stick with the policy that our calendars and diaries are a British creation from a British company. Even though we are considerably older and wider (not a typo) we still seem to make brand new, fresh mistakes year on year. The small comfort we can offer is that we do learn from our errors and always do our very best never to repeat them. Hopefully, this assurance is enough to earn your tolerance and forgiveness. Once again, sincere apologies to anyone this year who was disappointed and please be assured that this was the very last intention on Anna Danielle’s mind.
About the Project.
The Search for a Superstar project really is a heart and soul labour of love. From the starting point with the request for muses to the finished “Yes. Go to print” moment, Anna dedicates approximately 350 hours or over 43 days of scrolling, reading, selecting, drawing, painting, failing, succeeding, writing, emailing, formatting, scanning and proofreading. Her delight in announcing the chosen ones and adding some genuine happy to someone’s day truly is her primary motivation. The love, companionship and adoration which accompanies every potential superstar entry makes creating the calendars and diaries an honour not an everyday design task. This is not a New for this season or On trend product. It is an annual project that Anna loves producing.
How to enter?
Post any number of photos on the Little Dog’s Facebook page under the competition post or email them directly to anna@thelittledog.co.uk.
Action poses, photos full of personality and lots of detail about your furry loved ones are all big pluses. This is one project where waxing lyrical about your gorgeous one will never be met by a stifled yawn. The more you tell Anna and send her greatly helps improve the odds of that random spark of inspiration which leads to a “Yes, your furry one is a calendar superstar!”.
Your entries can be past or present and previous Superstar winners are more than welcome to attempt to retain their calendar month title.
Due to the popularity of this competition, responding in person to each individual email can prove difficult as the timescale on this project is very tight. Anna posts project updates via the news section on this website and on our Little Dog Facebook page but she will try her very best to respond to those who would like an acknowledgement that their email has been received.
Prize Details
And in return for your efforts, you will receive 3 complimentary copies of the 2020 calendar or diary your pet appears in plus a bespoke limited edition print. In addition, you will also receive complimentary samples of any product the design might subsequently appear on. These may include greeting cards, mint tins, coasters or textile gifts. Below are just a few of the products Skyla the Cypriot Rescue aka Miss May 2017 has appeared on.
The closing date for entries is the 31st of March.
Email all submissions to anna@thelittledog.co.uk
with the subject heading Superstars 2020.
A great big THANK YOU in advance.
I just wanted to say thank you for all your hard work. I think it’s such a shame you felt you needed to apologise just because some people didn’t like the temporary change in format. Your products are beautiful and it is clear how much thought, love and work goes into them. Thank you for doing what you do xxx
I wholeheartedly agree with Emma. Wonderful products filled with such lovable characters. Every item I have ordered from you just makes me smile when it arrives. Well done and just keep on doing what you do !!
Could you please confirm whether it is just dogs you are interested in? Many thanks.
Hi Laura, dogs and cats please! Many thanks, Anna
Every time I look at the the dogs in the diary it makes me smile! Please don’t apologise because some people aren’t suited. When asked what I would like for Christmas I always reply that as long as I get my little dog laughed diary I’m happy. For many years now my son buys me one which makes it even more special.
Thank you for producing such a gem.