A photogenic pet – coupled with a bit of witty humor fit for a birthday card – will net one person $1,000 along with the opportunity to see his or her creation turned in to an official Hallmark card that will grace store shelves for one year.

Hallmark recently kicked-off the “Your Pets” contest and is seeking greeting card submissions that feature a photo of a pet along with a birthday sentiment to create a unique greeting card. Entries will be judged on “sendability” (how easily the card could be sent to multiple people), theme (how well it fits the funny pet birthday theme) and the humor and cohesiveness of the caption.

Sixty-seven finalists will win $250 and those cards will be sold in approximately 10,000 stores for about three months before the grand prize winner is chosen through online voting. In addition to the $1,000 cash prize and year on store shelves, the grand prize winner and his or her pet will be flown to Kansas City, Mo., for a for a professional photo shoot at Hallmark’s photo studio.

“Hallmark consumers have never been shy about sharing their ideas for new greeting cards with us … With these competitions, we’re giving our fans an opportunity to turn those great ideas into real Hallmark cards,” said Lindsey Roy, senior product manager at Hallmark. “Even better, we want them to select the winner. We can’t wait to see which one of their touching pet photos will win America’s heart.”

The deadline to submit entries is Feb. 3; finalists will be announced March 3. The contest is limited to one entry per person. For greeting card tips, complete rules, and to enter, visit Hallmark’s website.