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Aside from kindness, the best superpower that you can have in life is the ability to make others laugh. Getting someone chuckling, chasing away the blues—it feels almost magical when someone’s able to bring a little bit of light (and a little bit of love) into your life. The Comedy Pet Photography Awards aims to do just that, all while supporting animal welfare charities.

This year’s batch of finalists has been announced, and today we’re bringing you the best of the best that will be vying for the top prizes. The photos are a hoot to look at, so go on, scroll down and take a look, dear Pandas. Upvote the pics that you enjoyed the most (be sure to send them to your friends), and let us know in the comments which of these pictures deserve the most praise and why. Which of these did you find the funniest, cutest, and most playful?

Bored Panda got in touch with the super friendly team and they were kind enough to tell us all about the Comedy Pet Photography Awards 2022. This year’s competition was a roaring success, and the team shortlisted 30 images and videos that they chose from literally hundreds of entries from around the globe (or nearly 70 different countries to be more precise). Check out the full interview below.

When you’re done with this list, take a look at what photos made it to the contest’s finals in 2021 and 2020.

More info: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | ComedyPetPhoto.com

#1

'purr-Etty Pleeeaase!' By Sarah Fiona Helme

'purr-Etty Pleeeaase!' By Sarah Fiona Helme

"Rosie was helping me in the greenhouse and decided to try, in her most engaging way, (and with the help of the wheelbarrow to stand on), to persuade me into giving her some of her favourite treats - which, being a lowly cat servant with no willpower, I did!"

Sarah Fiona Helme / Animal Friends Comedy Pets Report

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#2

'Nilo's Love For Water' By Jose Bayon

'Nilo's Love For Water' By Jose Bayon

"Nilo is an adopted puppy about 10 months old. He was hit by a car and was barely saved. Now recovered, he has just discovered water for the first time. His capers and pirouettes show his passion for water. Love at first sight"

Jose Bayon / Animal Friends Comedy Pets Report

The Comedy Pet Photography Awards competition was created by professional photographers Paul Joynson-Hicks and Tom Sullam. They wanted to celebrate the positive and vital role that pets have in our lives. Moreover, they aim to encourage engagement around animal welfare.

In short, their goal is to make the world a better place by bringing a lot more laughter into people’s homes, and by shining a spotlight on animal issues that deserve to be solved.

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#3

'pillow' By Peter Cech

'pillow' By Peter Cech

"A moment which i will me forever of a wonderful friendship of our family members"

Peter Cech / Animal Friends Comedy Pets Report

#4

'dashing Through The Snow' By Marko Jovanovic

'dashing Through The Snow' By Marko Jovanovic

"Carter was on a Euth list in California. We flew from Chicago to Cali rescue him. This was his first time experiencing snow. As you can see he could believe was missing out all these years!"

Marko Jovanovic / Animal Friends Comedy Pets Report

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The competition partnered up with Animal Friends Pet Insurance and is donating a whopping 35,000 pounds to various animal welfare charities. They’re giving 10,000 pounds each to Dean Farm Trust, London Inner City Kitties, and the Wild at Heart Foundation which all do a great job caring for and rehoming abandoned animals. Meanwhile, the overall winner of the competition will get to donate the remaining 5,000 pounds to a charity of their choice. Some of the donations are already having a major positive effect.

Meanwhile, the overall winner of the competition will receive an additional 2,000-pound prize and a bespoke trophy.

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#5

'happy Horses' By Radim Filipek

'happy Horses' By Radim Filipek

"Happy mother and her 3 day old son Monty"

Radim Filipek / Animal Friends Comedy Pets Report

#6

'hello Penny!' By Holly Stranks

'hello Penny!' By Holly Stranks

"This is Penny doing an impression of Sid the Sloth from the Ice Age movies"

Holly Stranks / Animal Friends Comedy Pets Report

Michelle Wood, a member of the Comedy Pet Photography Awards team, told Bored Panda what the energy was like this year throughout the competition.

“There is always a good buzz around the competition, mainly because it is celebrating something so wholesome and positive. This year, we were really chuffed to get a record number of JUNIOR entries, which gave the competition a really fun, entertaining, and relaxed vibe and made shortlisting the images a heartwarming task,” she told us.

#7

'revenge Of The Tennis Ball' By Christopher Johnson

'revenge Of The Tennis Ball' By Christopher Johnson

"This is Star playing in the snow in a local field and getting surprised by a passing tennis ball."

Christopher Johnson / Animal Friends Comedy Pets Report

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#8

'Boom Boom' By Kenichi Morinaga

'Boom Boom' By Kenichi Morinaga

"Cats are bumped on the wall suddenly. It was like a cartoon bamped boom boom.So funny moment."

Kenichi Morinaga / Animal Friends Comedy Pets Report

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WordWeaver
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Cats have this thing where they like to bump their heads up against something or someone when they sleep. Don't know why.

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According to the team, they had more entries from different countries this year than ever before. Especially from South America.

“I think everyone was ready to share their pet stories after such a long time under the COVID cloak and we had a lot of images showing pets playing with other pets, now that they were able to mix and meet up—FINALLY! Also, we had lots of cat entries in 2022, in fact, equal to the dog entries, which is great to see—some of them are hilarious!” Michelle said that everyone was over the moon with how things turned out this year. Things just keep getting better and better.

#9

'Smokin' Alpaca' By Stefan Brusius

'Smokin' Alpaca' By Stefan Brusius

"He looks like he is smoking a cigar."

Stefan Brusius / Animal Friends Comedy Pets Report

#10

'ukiyo-E' By Kazutoshi Ono

'ukiyo-E' By Kazutoshi Ono

"He is my lovely kitty that is rescued from my local cat care facility. I wanted to create some Japanese image with my kitty so that I made him jumping behind a hanging scroll using a cat toys. It reminds me that there is a famous Japanese story 'Tiger is popping out folding screen'."

Kazutoshi Ono / Animal Friends Comedy Pets Report

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Bored Panda was curious about what happens next. After all, the esteemed panel of judges will have to deliberate and pick out the winners (to be announced on September 13) for each category. But it doesn’t sound like it’ll be an easy task, considering how great all of the finalists’ entries look.

“On the face of it, the judges' task is simple—to score the images purely on their comedy value. However, when it comes down to it, it can be a lot trickier than that,” Michelle noted.

#11

'hitching A Lift!' By Neville Tait

'hitching A Lift!' By Neville Tait

"While we were in Canada over Christmas it snowed quite heavily. Our Grandson' Bowen's dog, Oscar, loved running around in the snow and when Bowen jumped on a piece of plastic to slide down the hill, Oscar bounded after him and jumped on his back."

Neville Tait / Animal Friends Comedy Pets Report

#12

'mine, Not Yours!' By Lucy Sellors-Duval

'mine, Not Yours!' By Lucy Sellors-Duval

"Benji was determined to be the one to get all the yummy treats during his photo shoot even if it meant stopping his older brother Doug."

Lucy Sellors-Duval / Animal Friends Comedy Pets Report

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“And some images/videos are slow burners, so they really grow on you the more you look at them. But we all have our own idea of what makes us laugh, that is the beauty of it, there are no special criteria so we never really know how it is going to go and anyone could win!” she pointed out that it’s still anybody’s game. There’s an air of mystery and excitement surrounding the next stage of the contest.

#13

'goofy Bun' By Sarah Von Keitz

'goofy Bun' By Sarah Von Keitz

"This is Fibunacci. Is he praying? Laughing? Blowing a raspberry? Actually, he's just cleaning his ears! He always wants to make sure he's looking his best."

Sarah von Keitz / Animal Friends Comedy Pets Report

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glowworm2
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is the way we wash our ears, wash our ears, wash our ears. This is the way we wash our ears, so early in the morning.

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#14

'remember Muttley' By Bernard Sim

'remember Muttley' By Bernard Sim

"Popcorn is a rather shy dog and keeps looking a way from the camera. Had to shoot a lot to get some usable ones and of course bloopers included."

Bernard Sim / Animal Friends Comedy Pets Report

Considering how much we love animals here at Bored Panda, we wanted to learn more about the charities that the competition will be supporting.

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“Thanks to our competition sponsor, Animal Friends, we are incredibly lucky to be able to donate £10k each to 3 different charities supporting a wide variety of animals and causes,” Michelle said, telling us a bit more about what each charity does.

#15

'now, How Do I Upload My Pics?' By Kenichi Morinaga

'now, How Do I Upload My Pics?' By Kenichi Morinaga

"I gotta smart phone so I want to upload my pics for my SNS. But I don't know how to use it. Please someone tell me how to use it."

Kenichi Morinaga / Animal Friends Comedy Pets Report

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#16

'jack The Cat Stuck In The Hedge' By Freya Sharpe

'jack The Cat Stuck In The Hedge' By Freya Sharpe

"We had gone out for the day and came home to find our kitten Jack had got stuck in the hedge!"

Freya Sharpe / Animal Friends Comedy Pets Report

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Paul C.
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm not stuck...........but yes, you can help me down, if you like.

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“The Wild at Heart Foundation, who have used some of the donation to facilitate aid for those animals affected by the Ukraine crisis. London Inner City Kitties has been able to invest in more hands-on support in rescuing abandoned cats, offering medical care and a new home where possible. And Dean Farm Trust, a beautiful animal sanctuary providing a forever home to 180 animals, has used some of the donation to repair much-needed fencing and to help with increasing vet and medical bills.”

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#17

'i'm Not Full Yet!' By Karl Goldhamer

'i'm Not Full Yet!' By Karl Goldhamer

"Our cat Lissi, who died 9 years ago, at the dining table."

Karl Goldhamer / Animal Friends Comedy Pets Report

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WordWeaver
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I know your heart still aches for him but I hope that you have found room in your heart for another beloved.

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#18

'omg What Is That' By Beth Noble

'omg What Is That' By Beth Noble

"CK shows his surprised face."

Beth Noble / Animal Friends Comedy Pets Report

The Comedy Pet Photography Awards believes that giving these charities the attention and funds that they deserve greatly helps animals in need.

“By raising awareness and donating to these brilliant charities through the competition, we can make a real difference to animals’ lives, and that is something to smile about!” Michelle told Bored Panda.

#19

'dave And Dudley' By Judy Nussenblatt

'dave And Dudley' By Judy Nussenblatt

"This is my friend, David, and his dog Dudley. During the early days of Covid, David and I took advantage of a beautiful day and we were out shooting pictures. Dudley was so excited when we got back that he threw his front paws around David's shoulders and I snapped this picture. They both look like they could use a good haircut, but it was Covid....so who cares...."

Judy Nussenblatt / Animal Friends Comedy Pets Report

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#20

'werewolf 2.0' By Karl Goldhamer

'werewolf 2.0' By Karl Goldhamer

"Even a werewolf needs to relax sometimes..."

Karl Goldhamer / Animal Friends Comedy Pets Report

The judges that will be looking over the finalists’ entries include well-known TV presenter and author Mel Giedroyc, animal lover Kate Humble, TV Vet Emma Milne, pro pet photographer Elke Vogelsang, Dave and Finn (the magic dog act from BGT), as well as Dave’s 10-year-old daughter Tia.

What’s more, they’ll be joined by representatives from the sponsors of the competition, including from Animal Friends (CEO Wes Pearson and his 13-year-old son Jack, as well as CMO Patricia Gardiner and her 10-year-old daughter Meg), Dean Farm Trust (Sam Clews), L.I.C.K’s (Sophie Fenton), and the Wild at Heart Foundation (Nikki Tibbles).

#21

'grandmistress Candy' By Jonathan Casey

'grandmistress Candy' By Jonathan Casey

"My tabby cat Candy is ranked East Anglia #1"

Jonathan Casey / Animal Friends Comedy Pets Report

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Paul C.
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2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

.....now I wonder if I can tip them all over the edge?

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#22

'too Desperate' By Kazutoshi Ono

'too Desperate' By Kazutoshi Ono

"She is my lovely kitty that is rescued from my local cat care facility. This is just a door continued to a corridor. Sometimes she jump up and holds a door so that maybe she is too desperate to go out."

Kazutoshi ONO / Animal Friends Comedy Pets Report

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TV presenter and author Mel said about joining the panel of judges: “This is my first foray into the world of Comedy Pet judging and I can’t think of anything better than sitting down with a cup of tea and having a giggle at the brilliant entries in this year’s competition, knowing that they have helped support some really incredible animal charities."

For the first time in the competition’s history, the public will get to act as judges, too. They’ll get the chance to vote for their favorite finalist image in the Animal Friends People’s Choice Awards. You can do that on the competition’s website, and you even have the chance of winning a cash prize. Voting will be open until August 22. So be sure to cast yours by then, Pandas.

#23

'oh I Do I Like A Scratch And Tickle' By Bob Moore

'oh I Do I Like A Scratch And Tickle' By Bob Moore

"Laughing horse"

Bob Moore / Animal Friends Comedy Pets Report

#24

'shakin Hedgehog' By Alessandro Po

'shakin Hedgehog' By Alessandro Po

"Brought Max to the lake and caught him just out of the water with an amazing shake off. His face looks like a hedgehog."

Alessandro Po / Animal Friends Comedy Pets Report

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Paul, the co-founder of the contest said that they love running the competition. “The adoration that people have for their pets and vice versa is a wonderful thing to see and be part of. The images and videos entered are a genuine and touching reflection of the special bond that exists between humans and animals, and we can’t help but feel happier for seeing them. This is why it is so important that we support animal welfare charities who do a remarkable job in looking after some of the most disadvantaged pets, and thanks to the amazing partnership with Animal Friends we have been able to make a real difference this year!”

#25

'chauffeur Dog' By Mehmet Aslan

'chauffeur Dog' By Mehmet Aslan

"The situation I encountered at traffic lights. At first I thought it was really like using a dog!"

Mehmet Aslan / Animal Friends Comedy Pets Report

#26

'i'm Talking To You' By Stefan Brusius

'i'm Talking To You' By Stefan Brusius

"Goose runs across the meadow, eats and chatters, in the right moment, at the right moment, it looked like she was speaking to me"

Stefan Brusius / Animal Friends Comedy Pets Report

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ZeroCapacity
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Says "Hey I have been trying to reach you about your auto warranty"

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Meanwhile, Wes, the CEO of Animal Friends praised the Comedy Pet Photography Awards for bringing “playful, poignant, and priceless moments” into people’s lives. He said the finalist shortlist has brought “immense joy” to them. He added that pets are never just pets, they’re a part of people’s stories.