The Philadelphia Water Department is searching for “spokesdogs” worthy of the title Philly Water’s Best Friend. Dog owners in Northern Liberties and Queen Village have until Feb. 15 to make their pooches eligible for the competition’s grand prize, a $200 gift from a local pet store.

Spokesdogs will be chosen to teach bark-park buddies and their caretakers about the importance of picking up pet waste.

Each spokesdog will be chosen at a community event and will win $200 worth of prizes from a pet shop in their neighborhood. As a part of the campaign, the winning dogs’ images will be used on a number of brochures, advertisements, websites, etc. Winning spokesdogs and their owners will be required to attend at least three community events to distribute information on living the eco-friendly dog life.

Online voting this spring will choose 15 finalists for each neighborhood. Then, a panel of judges will choose a winner at a pageant held in each neighborhood. Over the next year, each winner and its owner will attend at least three community events to hand out bag dispensers and educational tip cards.

Read the contest guidelines.

Register your dog for the competition in Northern Liberties or Queen Village.