Tilda Swinton wears dog collar to accept quirky Cannes award

Forget her Oscar win—Tilda Swinton scored a much cooler prize at this year's Cannes Festival. 

The Scottish actor celebrated an unlikely triumph at the annual French festival, stepping on stage to accept the Palm Dog award on behalf of her three beloved spaniels. 

Snowbear, Dora, and Rosy snapped up the accolade for the best canine performance on the screen, after wowing critics with their convincing acting chops in the drama film, The Souvenir Part II. The role saw the adorable hounds star alongside Tilda and her grown-up daughter, Honor Swinton Byrne, in the highly-acclaimed Joanna Hogg-directed sequel. 

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Much to the disappointment of the audience, the fluffy trio was tied up in important affairs back in Britain and couldn't be present to fetch their award. 

Luckily, Tilda was on site to do the honor. The French Dispatch star gladly received the pink leather collar award, even trying it on for size in front of the amused audience. 

"Has to be done," she joked, as the organizers clasped the eye-catching accessory around her neck and proclaimed her to be the 'Dame of Dogs'. 

"I tell you, this is what I call a prize," she added. 

The hilarious moment comes just a couple of days after Tilda Swinton played a cheeky prank on Timothée Chalamet at Cannes, showcasing yet again the Scotswoman's fondness for a bit of comic relief. 

“I have to tell you honestly, this is the prize to get,” she admitted upon collecting the award. “We’ve been eyeing it for years.”

The Palm Dog awards were founded by Toby Rose in 2001 as a light-hearted alternative to the formality of the Cannes Film Festival. 

Located just across the road from the glitzy affair, the canine ceremony puts the spotlight on human's best friend by recognizing the year's most memorable dog performances on-screen. It drew strong media coverage back in 2019 when Quentin Tarantino collected the award on Once Upon a Time in Hollywood's talented pitbull, Brandy, and has continued to rise in prominence since.