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30 Of The Funniest Photos From This Year’s Nikon Wildlife Photography Contest That Are Comedy Gold
InterviewThe Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards have 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.
With nearly 9,000 entries from 98 countries, the awards continue to highlight the wonders of wildlife while promoting the important message of conservation. And now, the public has the chance to get involved by voting in the People’s Choice Award, where one lucky voter could win a whopping £500.
The Overall Winner, Category and Highly Commended Winners will be announced on Tuesday 10th December at an Awards Night in London, which will be followed by a glorious exhibition for one week (and one week only) from 10 - 16th of December showcasing all the 2024 Award Finalists at the Gallery@Oxo, thanks to the support of competition partners at Nikon.
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Scott Frier, "Nagging Is A Universal Concept"
I liked this image as It reminds me of the old TV commercial for Maxell audio cassette tapes called: "Blown Away Guy". On safari in Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, we hung around a Kopji of rocks because there were lion cubs being nursed when this action happened. I was just lucky enough to catch it. I have this image printed and hung on a wall of my home, everybody who sees it laughs at it. One of those people mentioned that I should enter it in this contest so here it is.
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 with Bored 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."
Philippe Ricordel, "Easy Fellas - Hajime!"
Hajime! This is the term used by the referee in Judo to invite opponents to start fighting. Here, the standing bear seems to be saying this to the other two, adopting the gesture that referees use when they say this word.
"I swear! The little meat sack was only this tall but could run reallly fast!"
Przemyslaw Jakubczyk, "Unexpected Role Swap"
Every annoyed and overtired fish needs to de-stress by hunting for a bald eagle.
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."
Tapani Linnanmäki, "Shake Ruffle Rattle And Roll"
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.
Christine Haines, "Saying My Prayers"
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.
The competition’s partnership with the Whitley Fund for Nature plays a key role in raising awareness about conservation. Wood highlighted their efforts, saying, "Each year we donate 10% of our profits to the Whitley Fund for Nature, specifically to conservation funded by their NextGen program. Last year, part of the funds helped Kini Roesler and his team protect the fragile populations of the Patagonian Steppe. We love working with Whitley because we can see how our contribution directly helps species and the people working tirelessly to protect them."
Gabriel Rojo, "Smiley Elephant Seal"
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...
Milko Marchetti, "Stuck Squirrel"
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."
Andy Rouse, "Alright Mate, Back Off- This Is My Bird!"
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.
Ingo Hamann, "Laughing Out Loud"
This newborn seal seems to be laughing at a good joke.
Leslie Mcleod, "Hide And Seek"
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!"
Sanjay Patil, "The Rock Star"
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.
Sarosh Lodhi, "Wait...which Zebra Is In Front?!"
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.
Apparently the left zebra is in front, or so the photographer claims.
Artur Stankiewicz, "I'm Too Sexy For My Love"
On one of the 'lazy' mornings, we decided to stop by the pool with hippos while in Mana Pools NP. My idea was to try and catch fighting hippos, yet, they all were quite peaceful. I positioned on the bank, safely from the potential charge, and waited. Some of them raised their heads in curiosity or when proximity to the other individuals was too close. 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! :)
Jan Piecha, "I'll Tell You A Secret"
A tiny raccoon is telling a secret to its mum while whispering in her ear.
Takashi Kubo, "Mafia Boss"
It looked like he was sucking a cigar, and he looked like a mafia boss.
Eberhard Ehmke, "Frog In A Balloon"
During a photo shoot at the pond, I discovered this frog with its head in a bubble. This resembles a tree bell.
Kingston Tam, "Awkward Smiley Frog"
I asked this frog to smile for the camera but it seemed a little shy.
Jörn Clausen, "Where Do You Think You Are Going?"
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.
Jose Miguel Gallego Molina, "Mantis Flamenca"
On my way back from my photo walk in a swamp near my town (Pantano el Sitjar), I suddenly stopped my car on the road when I saw someone ordering me to stop. This was when I saw my friend the Flemish Mantis for the first time. 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.
Wim Bellemans, "Parrotfish Likes To Be Washed"
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.
Arvind Mohandas, "The Contemplative Chimpanzee"
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!
Well, let's see...if you take Pi out to 7 decimals it might work then!
Andy Rouse, "England Cricket's Latest Secret Weapon!"
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!
Randy Herman, "You're Not My Mother"
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.
Christopher Arnold, "Monday Again"
I photographed this nutria directly from the canoe. It was busy grooming itself.
Inés Godínez, "I Am Coming"
Razorbill was attempting a very wobbly landing!
Mark Meth-Cohn, "The Speed Skater"
Stellers Sea Eagle in the drifting sea ice off Rausu, Hokkaido, Japan.
Kath Aggiss, "Song Of The Zeisel"
Ground Squirrel (local name Zeisel) calling to family that he's found food.
Ralph Robinson, "Gang Of Four"
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!
Sarthak Ranganadhan, "Smooching Owlets"
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.
Fred Amico, "The Pavarotti Of Owls"
At the risk of seeming like a killjoy, these photos are very successful but it's really a shame that there is so much anthropomorphism : this prevents us from simply appreciating natural situations that are, after all, common, as if we were afraid to look nature in the face (there is something unsettling about that).
At the risk of seeming like a killjoy, these photos are very successful but it's really a shame that there is so much anthropomorphism : this prevents us from simply appreciating natural situations that are, after all, common, as if we were afraid to look nature in the face (there is something unsettling about that).