THE winners of The Argus Snowdog selfie competition have been picked.

Judges sifted through hundreds of entries from fans of the 10 week Snowdog by the Sea public art trail to find their top three favourite pictures.

They unanimously awarded Maisy Standing first prize for her smiley snap next to Max the Snowdog near Hove Museum.

The West Hove Infant School pupil, who found all but four Snowdogs on the trail, particularly loved the elaborate design by Sarah Arnett and sponsored by Joan and Jerry Cooper.

The six-year-old, of New Church Road, Hove, said: "I loved Max because he was the first Snowdog I found on the trail and I liked his design the most. It was fun because it was hard to find some of the dogs. I went around it with mummy, daddy and granny and grandad. It's really cool my picture won."

Her mother Michelle, 40, said: "Maisy was really excited by the trail, it got us out five times and took us to parts of the city we had not seen. She took a picture with every single one."

The Kaye family, of Hangleton Manor Close, Hove, came second. Shane, 43, Claire, 42, Finley, 11, and Imogen, eight, managed to complete the entire tour as a family and took some great shots along the way.

Judges were impressed they managed to all fit in one picture and capture the scene with good lighting as they posed with Neon Camo Snowdog of Hope designed by Mike Edwards in the grounds of its sponsor Brighton and Hove High School.

Claire said: "We told the children it was like Pokemon Go but real - that is why it was so fun. It got us out walking together as a family. The Snowdogs were really cute and everyone was talking about it. We are sad to see them go."

Tatyana Morozova, 30, of Brighton, who said she "loved" the Snowdogs, came third for her selfie with Snowbrador, designed by Ruby Cooper and sponsored by Wild in Art. Judges liked how she imitated his cheeky pose by sticking out her tongue.

Maisy wins a miniature Snowdog courtesy of Wild in Art - which is behind the public art trail in aid of The Martlets hospice - and will receive a certificate. Both runners up will receive a glossy souvenir guide to the trail, courtesy of The Martlets hospice, and certificates.

Judges highly commended Peter Adams and Kim Beveridge, who entered almost 30 times with pictures from around the tour.

The winners appear on the front cover of our Snowdog Selfie special supplement in this weekend's Argus alongside entries from Robert Bone, 20, of Brighton, Karen Clark, 51, of Saltdean and Tamzin Wares, 48, of East Grinstead, Amanda Ruff, 32, Clare Moloney, 38, and Louis Ruff, seven, all of Brighton. Inside the eight-page pull-out are scores of other entries.

  • Don't miss our Life feature in Monday's Argus with celebrity Tim Wonnacott who is leading the Snowdogs by the Sea auction.

How Brighton fell in love with the Snowdogs
by Flora Thompson

LAST weekend a little boy raced along Hove promenade and straight up to a big, black, furry Snowdog.

'Another Snowdog! Mummy I told you there would be another one!', he exclaimed jumping up and down excitedly.

He began furiously petting Snowbrador and imitating his cheeky expression by also sticking out his tongue.

His parents and older sister soon caught up, smiling. They all crammed together in an effort to get another selfie with a Snowdog.

This has been a scene which I have seen repeated many times over in the last two months as the Snowdogs by the Sea trail was on the streets of Brighton and Hove.

There have been cheering and squealing with excitement as they discover another model, families and loved ones spending time together to make a trip out of the trail, avid fans marching around the streets with a purpose and the unsuspecting passerby or tourist who are initially taken by surprise but then delighted by running into a 1.5 metre decorated dog.

Each takes a moment to get a snap with the dog, admire its design and read about its story.

These Snowdog hunters came out in all kinds of weather - crisp air and warm sunshine, pelting rain, strong winds - demonstrating exactly how this city, and our visitors, have fallen completely and utterly in love with these quirky, crazy creatures. Many felt a connection to the story behind the children's character and others were keen to support the trail because it was raising funds for The Martlets hospice.

This public art trail brought joy but, more importantly, has already raised a fantastic amount of funds for a cause we can all be proud of supporting.

A LASTING MEMORY OF THE SNOWDOG TRAIL

MINIATURE figurines and glossy souvenir guides are just two items of special Snowdog merchandise still on sale after the trail in the run up to Christmas.

They can be bought in The Martlets hospice shops in Church Street and London Road, Brighton, alongside other Snowdog-themed gifts like fluffy cuddly toys, and at snowdogarttrails.co.uk. A percentage of all sales is donated to The Martlets.

The original Snowdog, Roodle, Gizmo, Snowbrador, Sparky and Winter Lily designs are available as well as 'paint your own Snowdog'. Under the Sea Snowdog will be on sale soon.

Online fans can join a Snowdogs collectors club to get access to exclusive offers, discounts and the chance to pre-order figurines.