National Hot Dog & Sausage Council Announces Hot Dog Photo Contest Winners

Photo Montage of All Entries Released on YouTube

WASHINGTON, July 1, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As National Hot Dog Month kicks off today, The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council is proud to announce the winners and runner-ups in its first-ever hot dog photo competition.

Approximately 1,000 votes were cast in three categories - people, places and hot dog art.

The results were announced just as the Fourth of July weekend was about to begin - a weekend when Americans will eat an estimated 150 million hot dogs. That's just part of the seven billion hot dogs that Americans eat between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

Grand prize winners in the Council's photo contest are:

Hot Dog Art: Bright Leaf Hot Dog Cake, submitted by Sharon Holloman

Places: Hot Dog Lunch, submitted by Pat Jones

People: Hot Dog Baby, submitted by Jessica Rush

Runner-ups are:

Art: Hot Dog Log Cabin, submitted by Elisabeth Ward

Places: Dolly's, submitted by Richard Walker

People: Hot Dog and a Pickle, submitted by Andrew Bennett

Each grand prize winner will receive a $250 gift card to the grocery store of their choice to help build the ultimate summer barbecue. Runner-ups in each category will receive a $100 gift card.

To view the winning photos, go to the Council's Facebook fan page (http://www.flickr.com/groups/nationalhotdogcouncil).

"The response to our contest was gratifying," said Council President and "Queen of Wien" Janet Riley. "It is quite a tribute to the unwavering popularity of this American icon and we are so happy that we were able to give the dog the close-up it deserves here at the beginning of Hot Dog Month and on the eve of one of the biggest hot dog consuming weekends of the year."

The Council received entries from Germany, Iceland, Canada and across America. Photos of people noshing on dogs came in from all ages ... from ballparks, restaurants, and backyards far and wide.

The Council has released a photo montage of all of the usable entries, which is available at www.youtube.com/hotdogcouncil and on the homepage of the popular National Hot Dog and Sausage Council website (www.hot-dog.org).

"By our standards, everyone who entered this contest is a 'wiener,' and that's the highest compliment our Council can pay," Riley said. "We thank everyone who participated."

SOURCE National Hot Dog & Sausage Council