The Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awardshave once again captured the charm and quirky side of the animal kingdom, with this year’s shortlist featuring some truly hilarious moments. From a cheetah cleverly hiding behind a tree to a fish chasing an eagle across the sky, the finalists bring together humor and the beauty of nature in a unique way for this year’s competition.
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We reached out to Michelle Wood, Head of Operations at the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards, to dive deeper into the origins of the competition, its impact, and what lies ahead for this unique showcase of wildlife photography.When asked what inspired the creation of the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards in 2015, Michelle shared withBored Panda, “I was living and working as a wildlife photographer in East Africa, and while going through my photos for an exhibition, I realized that the humorous ones—whether it was a warthog’s bottom or an eagle looking at me through its legs—were the most popular. It struck me that we could use this as a tool to engage people with animals and ultimately conservation. So I set out to create a competition that celebrated wildlife in a positive, life-affirming way, open to both professionals and amateurs. Thankfully, the images from the first year caught the public’s attention, and the rest is history.”
We reached out to Michelle Wood, Head of Operations at the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards, to dive deeper into the origins of the competition, its impact, and what lies ahead for this unique showcase of wildlife photography.
When asked what inspired the creation of the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards in 2015, Michelle shared withBored Panda, “I was living and working as a wildlife photographer in East Africa, and while going through my photos for an exhibition, I realized that the humorous ones—whether it was a warthog’s bottom or an eagle looking at me through its legs—were the most popular. It struck me that we could use this as a tool to engage people with animals and ultimately conservation. So I set out to create a competition that celebrated wildlife in a positive, life-affirming way, open to both professionals and amateurs. Thankfully, the images from the first year caught the public’s attention, and the rest is history.”
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With nearly 9,000 entries from around the world, the combination of humor and wildlife photography clearly resonates with people. Michelle explained, “Everyone loves a funny animal image—it’s almost what the internet was made for. Humor is a great way to share positive messages, and our images certainly do that. This year, the finalists feature a wide variety of animals—there’s something for everyone. It doesn’t always have to focus on the ‘big’ animals like lions and polar bears. We have frogs, squirrels, insects, and birds represented too. There’s a certain anthropomorphic element to it, where people see human behavior in the animals, and that strengthens the connection between our lives and theirs.”
In the picture, a white-tailed eagle is ruffling its feathers. The picture was taken with the Nikon Z9’s auto-capture feature. The camera is placed on top of the sea ice on top of a bag of nuts at the level of the ice. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw this picture. There were more than ten funny poses and expressions in the photo series.
I visited Lake Clark National Park to photograph bears. While there, I had an opportunity to travel to Duck Island where I saw an otter floating next to the boat. Otters hold their food with their paws making it appear like they are praying.
These multi-ton giants fight to keep their harem of females. In the instant of the photo, the animal seems to be smiling… but the reality of the situation is that its expression of astonishment and smile is at the moment of fleeing quickly, because the dominant male was on his way to a bloody fight. It is better to preserve physical integrity… I’d better go…
When the squirrel entered, he removed his feet from the trunk for a moment, and for that moment it seemed as if he was blocked at the entrance to the burrow.
Behind the scenes, the judging process remains straightforward, as Michelle revealed, “The judges are given the images anonymously and asked to score them out of 20, focusing solely on humor value, as the photographic quality is already considered. We tally up the scores, and the image with the highest points wins!“As the competition celebrates its tenth year, Michelle reflected on the journey and future aspirations, saying, “It’s hard to believe we’ve reached 10 years! But in many ways, this is still a young competition, and we have a lot more to achieve. Our hope is to get more people involved, especially the younger generation, to keep spreading the joy and, more importantly, to keep advocating for conservation. If enough people are invested in making a difference, there is hope.”
Behind the scenes, the judging process remains straightforward, as Michelle revealed, “The judges are given the images anonymously and asked to score them out of 20, focusing solely on humor value, as the photographic quality is already considered. We tally up the scores, and the image with the highest points wins!”
As the competition celebrates its tenth year, Michelle reflected on the journey and future aspirations, saying, “It’s hard to believe we’ve reached 10 years! But in many ways, this is still a young competition, and we have a lot more to achieve. Our hope is to get more people involved, especially the younger generation, to keep spreading the joy and, more importantly, to keep advocating for conservation. If enough people are invested in making a difference, there is hope.”
This image was taken in South Georgia, it really does show a male king penguin trying to make a move on a female who has already paired up with her male. The body position and wing posture make the message clear - “Back off!“This image was highly commended in the 2006 BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year.
This newborn seal seems to be laughing at a good joke.
We were on safari in Kenya and happened upon this beautiful female who was looking for a mate. A group of topi were also keeping a pretty close eye on her as she left messages for a potential partner on various trees. This shot makes me think that the cheetah is just about to shout out, “ready or not, here I come!”
Fan-throated lizards are found only in the Indian subcontinent, where they have evolved under the influence of changing climates. These lizards are colorful and belong to the category of reptiles. Female Lizards do not display fans as they do not have. Male lizards inflate their attractive neck pouch to attract the female in the hot summer season. Here is the female lizard standing upright to escape the summer heat.
Wait! Which Zebra is in front!!!Description: An image that causes optical illusion making it difficult for the viewer to tell which zebra is in front. Shot in Kenya, I stayed focused on these two as they started coming towards each other. I was expecting them to interact, nozzle or maybe fight, but they coincidentally got aligned in a way to cause this beautiful optical illusion.
A tiny raccoon is telling a secret to its mum while whispering in her ear.
It looked like he was sucking a cigar, and he looked like a mafia boss.
During a photo shoot at the pond, I discovered this frog with its head in a bubble. This resembles a tree bell.
I asked this frog to smile for the camera but it seemed a little shy.
This picture was taken in 2015 during my first visit to the Farne Islands (UK). The islands were full of puffins, kittywakes, shags, guillemots, and razorbills, and I never before and since then have taken so many photos in such a short time. I think I really “saw” this image only later that day when I checked my haul.
I saw this parrotfish with 2 other fish cleaning him. The smile on his face shows that he really loves it. Picture shot while diving in Dahab, Egypt.
Shot in the jungles of Uganda, following a group of around 50 chimpanzees. This one was obviously contemplating an important issue, on a day of realization and reaffirmation of how close chimpanzees are to humans!
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I took this photo of a dancing sifaka in Madagascar; as it ran towards us, it created all sorts of funny shapes. But this one was the best, it looks to me like it is practicing its bowling action ready for an England call-up!
This female Red-bellied Woodpecker had been investigating this Screech Owl nest for a couple of days; perhaps it was her nest last year? This little owlet was definitely startled, and didn’t seem to know what to make of this intruder. The woodpecker moved on, and the owlet fledged with its two siblings about an hour late.
I photographed this nutria directly from the canoe. It was busy grooming itself.
Razorbill was attempting a very wobbly landing!
Stellers Sea Eagle in the drifting sea ice off Rausu, Hokkaido, Japan.
Ground Squirrel (local name Zeisel) calling to family that he’s found food.
On the penguin highway, these rockhoppers are moving into town, and this town ain’t big enough for all of them! I set up my camera a good distance from this ridge, where rockhopper penguins were returning from feeding in the southern Atlantic Ocean in the Falkland Islands. The long lens pulled them into the frame without disturbing their return to nests on the hill. I love photographing penguins after they’ve been in the water as they are cleaner! These birds look like they are ready to kick some penguin a*s!
Our parents always find a way to embarrass us, I guess that’s also true in the case of spotted owlets. It was truly a funny sight to see two owlets trying to get some privacy as their little offspring stood next to them with a grin shut eyes.
This area has always been a nesting place for burrowing owls, so I visit frequently. When I saw this image on the computer it just looked like this little owl was singing his heart out.
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As we walked on the sands of the Namib Desert, a gecko suddenly appeared, emerging out of nowhere with a smile on its face. It positioned itself perfectly, posing for a portrait worthy of a National Geography cover. It seemed to say: “Take my picture, I’m ready for my cover!”
An Adelie penguin stands over its chick as it lays flat on the rock to cool off. Due to their high level of insulation, penguin chicks can sometimes overheat and lay on the rocks with their feet out to lower their body temperature. Shingle Cove, South Orkney Islands.
After a nap, the mother brown bear wanted to go for a walk, but the cubs wanted a ride.
This image shows the happy life of a Red Ant, looking down on us. The photo was taken in a dark forest near the Netherlands last autumn. I like the tones of this autumn leaf. So warm. It was hard to take this image because of the fast-moving Ant, but with a little help of a flashlight, I was able to freeze the motion.
Whiskered tern’s head hit the rock when trying to land.
Blenni fish peaking out from a hole in the coral.
This doe had got up on her hind legs to grab some leaves from the tree to eat, but when she got back up on all fours, she suddenly let go of the branch and took a cold shower on the head.
Two Cape Fur seals having a laugh.
After the meeting… comes love! This is everyone’s daily life.
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