The animal world is harsh and full of suffering, as animals eke out existence in a survival of the fittest. But that world is also quite funny, especially as seen through an anthropomorphic lens.
That’s right: The Nikon Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards just announced its annual selection of winning and highly commended photographs. The images span the animal kingdom, from armored mantises to furry felines, but all do something to capture the humorous in what can be a quite uncaring world.
The first nine photos featured in the following slideshow are the highly commended images; they are followed by this year’s winners. The overall winner of this year’s competition was Milko Marchetti’s shot of a red squirrel stuck in a tree. If some of the shots are familiar to you, that’s because we previously showcased the finalists of this year’s awards. But even if you caught that round of photos, by viewing below you will (1) learn who of those finalists actually won the competition and (2) get to enjoy the humor in each image all over again.
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The bubble-encased frog won the reptile category—but I should emphasize, that is the competition’s choice. We at Gizmodo are aware that frogs are amphibians. The shot of a fish chasing an eagle took home the “Fish and Other Aquatic Species” category, while the snap of a tern taking a turn for the worse won in the bird category. Other winners included a shot of a derpy frog (young photographer award), a bunch of owls (junior photographer award), and a mantis (insect award). But all the photos are charming in their own way and deserve a proper study.
The winning and highly commended images were selected from a field of nearly 9,000 images taken in nearly 100 different countries. Nikon began the competition in 2015, and we’ve seen plenty of highlights over the years. Recent winners of the competition’s top prize include a lion colliding with a tree (2022) and a monkey landing on a branch in a particularly uncomfortable way (2021). You can see the finalists from last year here, and the shortlist of this year’s photos here. Suffice to say, there’s plenty enough comedic wildlife to go ’round.
An exhibition hosting the 44 finalists of this year’s competition will be hosted at the Gallery@Oxo Tower Wharf in London from today—Wednesday, December 11—through Sunday, December 15. Entries for the next window of the competition will open in March 2025—I look forward to seeing what you all have to offer.
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