The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has announced that 95 shelters in the U.S. have been selected to compete in the 2011 ASPCA $100K Challenge. Two of the shelters are in Arizona, and one of those two is right here in Tucson; the Humane Society of Southern Arizona.

Contenders in the ASPCA Challenge are in need of votes, with voting ending on April 15.

Per a press release:

“The idea behind the qualifying heat is to inspire communities to support their local shelters,” said Bert Troughton, vice president of community outreach for the ASPCA. “Casting a vote for your local shelter is a way of saying, ‘We care about the animals in our community and want to help our local shelter save animals.’ When people work together with their local shelters, more animals are saved, which has a positive impact on the entire community. Our contest provides added incentive because the public can both help save animals in their community and bring important grant dollars to their local organization.”

During the Challenge, the selected animal shelters will compete to save at least 300 more animals during the same 3-month period than from a year earlier. The shelter with the largest increase will win a $100,000 grant for their shelter. The shelter that gets the most community members involved in saving animals will win a $25,000 grant. Shelters that do the best in their region will be eligible to win anywhere from $5,000 and $25,000 in grants.

To cast your vote, go to this website.