There’s nothing that adds a little joy to your day like funny pictures of animals, and the Nikon Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards is the place to find the best silly animal photos.
While there is no denying the comedic genius behind the competition is undeniable, this competition is not just about sharing goofy animals in wacky situations. The Nikon Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards was founded in 2015 by Paul Joynson-Hicks, as a way to get people engaged in the issues of animal habitat conservation and spread awareness for species at risk. He opted to do so through a comedic lens, rather than through images of destroyed ecosystems and at-risk animals, due to people’s tendency to shy away from images that make them uncomfortable. Sharing the wildlife outtakes allows us to empathize with the animals and provides a more share-able way to spread the word for conservation efforts.
The competition includes multiple categories and welcomes submissions from photographers of all skill and age levels, plus entry is free!
Milko Marchetti’s “Stuck squirrel”
Overall Winner
Marchetti reflected on the capturing and sharing of this image: “This photo had an effect on me and made me smile a lot in that moment I clicked the button, and during my evenings of slideshows and nature videos that I often hold at photography clubs and theaters, the audience always explodes in energetic laughter when I show this photo.” Milko Marchetti | ItalySarthak Rangandhan’s “Smooching owlets”
Nikon Junior Category (Under 16) Award
Rangandhan humorously commented on the image: “Our parents always find a way to embarrass us, I guess that’s also true in the case of spotted owlets.” Sarthak Rangandhan | IndiaJose Miguel Gallego Molina’s “Mantis Flamenca”
Insect’s Award
Molina described their process for getting this photo: “You can imagine the faces of the other cars passing by, seeing a car with the indicators on and the door open, stopped on the roadside and a madman lying on the ground with his camera in his hand.” Jose Miguel Gallego Molina | SpainKingston Tam’s “Awkward smiley frog”
Nikon Young Photographer Category (Under 25) Award
Tam explained the intention behind their photography: “My goal for my images is to bring attention to our scaly or moist friends, showing that not only fluffy animals can be cute and beautiful.” Kingston Tam | Hong KongTapani Linnanmäki’s “Shake ruffle rattle and roll”
Affinity Photo 2 People’s Choice Award
Linnanmäki commented on their image: “I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw this picture. There were more than ten funny poses and expressions in this photo series.” Tapani Linnanmäki | FinlandFlynn Thaitnunde-Lobb’s “Dancing To The Music, Rock guitar, Roly Poly, and Weight Lifting”
Amazing Internet Portfolio Award
Thaitnunde-Lobb commented on the series of images: “It may not be ballroom dancing, but I think this squirrel is getting the hang of it.” Flynn Thaitnunde-Lobb | BritainDamyan Petkov’s “Whiskered Tern crash on landing”
Spectrum Photo Birds Award
Petkov described their image: “Whiskered tern’s head hit the rock when trying to land.” Damyan Petkov | BulgariaPrzemyslaw Jakubczyk’s “Unexpected role swap”
Fish and other Aquatic Species Award
Jakubczyk humorously describes the photo: “Every annoyed and overtired fish needs to de-stress by hunting for a bald eagle.” Przemyslaw Jakubczyk | PolandLeslie McLeod’s “Hide and seek”
Highly Commended Winner
McLeod commented on their image: “This shot makes me think that the cheetah is just about to shout out, ‘ready or not, here I come!'” Leslie McLeod | CanadaRalph Robinson’s “Gang of four”
Highly Commended Winner
Robinson commented on the image: “On the penguin highway, these rockhoppers are moving into town, and this town ain’t big enough for all of them!” Ralph Robinson | BritainMarti Phillips’ “Are you kidding”
Highly Commended Winner
Phillips describes the image as: “Two Cape Fur seals having a laugh.” Marti Phillips | USARandy Herman’s “You’re not my mother”
Highly Commended Winner
Herman commented on the image: “This little owlet was definitely startled, and didn’t seem to know what to make of this intruder.” Randy Herman | USASanjay Patil’s “The Rock Star”
Highly Commended Winner
Patil described the image: “Here is the female [fan-throated] lizard standing upright to escape the summer heat.” Sanjay Patil | IndiaJan Piecha’s “I’ll tell you a secret”
Highly Commended Winner
Piecha described their image: “A tiny raccoon is telling a secret to its mum while whispering in her ear.” Jan Piecha | GermanyTakashi Kubo’s “Mafia Boss”
Highly Commended Winner
Kubo described their image: “It looked like he was sucking a cigar, and he looked like a mafia boss.” Takashi Kubo | JapanAndy Rouse’s “Alright Mate Back off – this is my bird”
Highly Commended Winner
Rouse commented on their photo: “The body position and wing posture make the message clear – ‘back off!'” Andy Rouse | BritainArtur Stankiewicz’s “I’m too sexy for my love”
Highly Commended Winner
Stankiewicz described capturing this image: “Then I got this idea to catch the portrait with water plants decorating the head. It looked like the guy just got out of the hairdresser with a big smile on his face :)” Artur Stankiewicz | PolandArvind Mohandas’ “The Contemplative Chimpanzee”
Highly Commended Winner
Mohandas commented on the picture: “This one was obviously contemplating an important issue, on a day of realization and reaffirmation of how close chimpanzees are to humans!” Arvind MohandasEberhard Ehmke’s “Frog in a balloon”
ThinKTANK Reptiles and Amphibians Award
Ehmke commented on their image: “During a photo shoot at the pond I discovered this frog with its head in a bubble. This resembles a tree bell.” Eberhad Ehmke | Germany
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Ezra Knapp (they/them) is a GSP 2020 and NKU 2024 graduate. They have creative writing published in Loch Norse Magazine (2023) and an essay in Pentangle (2023). They are now a co-editor-in-chief for Loch...
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