HAVE you got the cuddliest, friendliest or most loveable pet in the UK?

Everyone who owns a cat dog, fish, hamster or gerbil may think their domestic pal is extra special. But now The People is giving you a chance to prove it, with our exciting new competition.

Today we are launching our nationwide hunt for the UK's best pet - Peoplepets 2008. And if your furry or feathered friend is among the lucky winners you could be picking up a cool cash prize on their behalf.

First place in each eight tough categories will win £250.

Meanwhile the winner of our ultimate prize of Peoplepets 2008 will scoop up a huge £1,000 prize and be crowned champion in The People's special finalist pages.

So if your kitten is too cute for words, or your fish is simply fabulous send your photos and videos to us at peoplepets@peoplepets.co.uk

Any pet you own is eligible for a prize and each picture and video sent will appear on our website gallery. The best entries in each category will then appear on our Pets and their People page for readers to vote for their favourites.

As well as the overall winner, there will be prizes for the best looking dog or cat, best looking other pet, cutest pet and most unusual pet. Also up for grabs is a reward for the funniest picture and a lookalike prize for the animal who looks the most like its owner.

So if you want the chance to show off your beloved pet, log on to www.peoplepets.co.uk and upload your snaps and videos on to our special gallery.

Once they have been added, visitors to the site will be able to rate your pet out of five and even join in the fun by leaving comments for other pet lovers to see.

We'll also accept entries by post at PeoplePets Competion, PO BOX 4018, E14 5BL (fill in form below).

If emailing your entry, please supply a jpeg picture of your pet and supply your name, address and telephone number.

So, it's cameras at the ready and send us your favourite pet picture!

The closing date for entries is the 30th November 2008 (you can add more pets after this point, but these will not be included in the competition for 2008 prizes).

Once all entries have been received, a tough judging panel will select the top 12 in each category and the finalists' pictures will be printed in a special feature in The People.

Each final entry will have a text/phone number for you to vote for your favourite in each category, with the most votes also receiving the ultimate prize as PeoplePets 2008.

Final winners will be announced on Sunday 14th December when the nation's favourite pets will also be awarded their coveted prizes.

We have teamed up with Tesco Pet Insurance to make sure our competition is a runaway success.

CATEGORIES AND PRIZES:

What You Can Win

THERE are nine categories in Pet Champ - and the winner of each will be in the money.
The categories are:

PEOPLE PET CHAMP 2008

The overall winner will be chosen from the finalists, voted for by the public.
Prize: £1,000

BEST LOOKING DOG

The shinniest coat, the brightest eyes and the most bubbly canine personality are just the things our judges will be looking for when they pick the most handsome dogs.
Prize: £250

BEST LOOKING CAT

From tabbies to gingers and Siamese to tortoise shell, all kinds of feline lookers will be competing to be top cat.
Prize: £250

BEST LOOKING OTHER PET

Iguanas, birds, fish and any other kind of domestic animals can enter.
Prize: £250

CUTEST PET

Whether its the way they curl up their paws, fawn for attention or just look too sweet for words, we are looking for the cutest of the domestic animal kingdom.
Prize: £250

MOST UNUSUAL PET

Is your favourite animal something out of the ordinary, like a tarantula or snake and everything in between? If your pet is cool, let us know.
Prize: £250

FUNNIEST PICTURE

It might be a silly outfit, a daft pose or an unusual activity, but if you have it on camera, send it to us.
Prize: £250

LOOKY LIKEYS

Pets who look like their owners - if you and your pet share facial features or dress alike, you could be in with a shout.
Prize: £250

BEST VIDEO

They say animals do the funniest things, so show us. Upload your home animal videos on our own 'zootube' for the public's amusement and they could become a star.
Prize: £250

SEE YOUR PETS ONLINE

EVERY pet picture or video that is entered will go on our website at www.peoplepets.co.uk. Its a great way to show off your pet or share your pictures with family, friends and pet-loving strangers.

The competition is launched today, but already we've got entries for you to look at. So log on to www.peoplepets.co.uk now and join in the pet fun.

HOW TO ENTER ON OUR WEBSITE

Head to our Registration page and sign up - it's FREE. Then just follow the simple instructions to upload your pet pictures and videos on the site.

The easy steps are explained, and there are helpful tips if you're having problems. Remember, you can enter as many pictures as you want in as many categories as you want. And if you enter online, your pictures and videos will be on the website in moments for everyone to see.

BY EMAIL

If you prefer to send us your pet pictures by email or you don't have the right connections from your mobile phone or digital camera, you can send them as email attachments to us and we'll enter them for you.

Email your pictures to: peoplepets@people.co.uk

Remember also to tell us what nickname you want to use on the site - we won't publish your full real name and address online - what your pet's name is, what category you want to enter them in and any other information you want to add about your pet. Just go to the People Pets website now to get an idea of the type of information we're talking about.

Every picture we receive will be put on to the People Pets website as quickly as possible.

BY POST

IF you haven't caught up with digital technology, don't worry. You won't miss out on People Pets.

Just post us your pet pictures and we'll enter them into the competition and put them on the People Pets website for you - just fill in the form.

We need your name and address so we can get back in touch if you're a winner. But we won't publish these details online for security reasons, so we need a website nickname - for example Catgirl or Poodleman.

Tell us what your pet's name is, what category you want to enter them in - and any other information you want to add about your pet.

Then post your pictures to: People Pets Competition, PO Box 4018, E14 5BL.

POSTAL ENTRY FORM

Name...........................................................................
Address.....................................................................
Postcode....................................................................
Telephone Number...............................................
Website Nickname.................................................
Category.....................................................................
Pets Name.................................................................
Comments..................................................................