Nikon Comedy Wildlife Award winners for 2024

The Nikon Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards has announced the winners of its annual competition. For 2024, the contest received more than 9,000 entries from photographers worldwide, which judges whittled down to 10 category winners and 10 highly commended winners. Top winners received prizes ranging from a Kenyan safari to Nikon gear, including cameras and lenses.

Overall winner and mammals category winner

Photographer: Milko Marchetti (Italy)

Title: Stuck Squirrel

Location: Parco Podere Pantaleone, Italy

Caption: The photo was taken in the “Podere Pantaleone” park in Bagnacavallo, Ravenna, Italy. It is a park open to the public and schools, but from October to March, it is closed to visitors, and I am allowed (in exchange for photographs for educational and promotional purposes) to use a fixed photographic hide to photograph passerines, woodpeckers, hawks, and even 3-4 squirrels that come to visit the photographic set consisting of a small lake, and the surrounding vegetation. Generally, in Italy, especially in the area where I live, in the Po Delta Regional Park, it is very difficult to see and photograph squirrels (they are very rare), but here in the park, they are quite confident.

A few meters from the hide, an old cut tree has a hole (an old woodpecker's nest), and here, the squirrels (two years ago, there were four specimens) sometimes come out of curiosity to check out the old hollow tree. I have taken several photos of squirrels in many situations, but the shot I chose to participate in the Nikon Comedy Wildlife immediately struck me for the strange position assumed by the squirrel that seems to be stuck halfway in the hole in the tree, but in reality, it is the moment in which it is detaching the support on its hind legs and enters the hole.

This photo had an effect on me and made me smile a lot in the moment that 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. I knew I had to enter it into the competition.

© Milko Marchetti / Nikon Comedy Wildlife

Insect category winner

Photographer: Jose Miguel Gallego Molina (Spain)

Title: Mantis Flamenca

Location: Onda, Spain

Caption: 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.

© Jose Miguel Gallego Molina / Nikon Comedy Wildlife

Reptile category winner

Photographer: Eberhard Ehmke (Germany)

Title: Frog in a Balloon

Location: Bergwinkel, Germany

Caption: During a photo shoot at the pond, I discovered this frog with its head in a bubble. This resembles a tree bell.

© Eberhard Ehmke / Nikon Comedy Wildlife

Bird category winner

Photographer: Damyan Petkov (Bulgaria)

Title: Whiskered Tern crash on landing

Location: Svishtov, Bulgaria

Caption: Whiskered tern head hit the rock when trying to land

© Damyan Petkov / Nikon Comedy Wildlife

Fish and other aquatic animals category winner

Photographer: Przemyslaw Jakubczyk (Poland)

Title: Unexpected Role Swap

Location: Szczecin Lagoon, Poland

Caption: Every annoyed and overtired fish needs to de-stress by hunting for a bald eagle

© Przemyslaw Jakubczyk / Nikon Comedy Wildlife

Nikon junior category winner (16 years and under)

Photographer: Sarthak Ranganadhan (India)

Title: Smooching owlets

Location: Gurgaon, India

Caption: 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 and shut eyes.

© Sarthak Ranganadhan / Nikon Comedy Wildlife

Nikon young photographer category winner (25 years and younger)

Photographer: Kingston Tam (Hong Kong)

Title: Awkward Smiley Frog

Location: Queensland, Australia

Caption: In 2022, I moved to Australia from Hong Kong to study wildlife science, and my friends got me into ‘herping’ (looking for reptiles and amphibians in the wild) and through that, I met a bunch of amazing photographers who specialize in taking photos of these critters, and I started doing it as well. And that’s how I ended up photographing critters.

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. Ultimately, I wish my work could bring more conservation awareness to these amazing reptiles and amphibians, and that’s been my motivation to keep doing what I’m doing.

© Kingston Tam / Nikon Comedy Wildlife

People's Choice category winner

Photographer: Tapani Linnanmäki (Finland)

Title: Shake Ruffle Rattle and Roll

Location: Kustavi Finland

Caption: 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.

© Tapani Linnanmäki / Nikon Comedy Wildlife

Portfolio category winner

The portfolio category was presented to a photographer for a set of images. The photo above comes from a series of photos of a squirrel in a variety of comedic poses.

Photographer: Flynn Thaitanunde-Lobb (British, aged 10)

Title: Rock guitar

Location: Southampton, UK

Caption: I first heard of the Comedy Wildlife Photography Award when my mum showed me last year's winner of a kangaroo playing air guitar. I thought it was quite funny. I got into photography when my mum gave me her Nikon D3000 camera when I was 5 years old. I have been using a Nikon camera ever since.

I love taking photos of all kinds of animals: birds, foxes, spiders, butterflies, squirrels. Anything that catches my eyes. Anything that is beautiful. I won my first ever award, coming third place in the Bird Photography Of The Year (BPOTY) competition for the Under Eight category when I was 6 years old with my Perching Seagull. I went on to win the RSPCA Mobile Phone under 12 category in 2023 with my Weaving Spider.

© Flynn Thaitanunde-Lobb / Nikon Comedy Wildlife

Highly commended winner

Photographer: Artur Stankiewicz (Poland)

Title: I'm too sexy for my love

Location: Mana Pools National Park, Zimbabwe

Caption: 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 away 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 his head; It looked like the guy just got out of the hairdresser with a big smile on his face :)

© Artur Stankiewicz / Nikon Comedy Wildlife

Highly commended winner

Photographer: Randy Herman (USA)

Title: You're not my mother

Location: Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio, USA

Caption: 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 later.

© Randy Herman / Nikon Comedy Wildlife

Highly commended winner

Photographer: Ralph Robinson (British)

Title: Gang of Four

Location: Pebble Island, Falkland Islands

Caption: 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 ass!

© Ralph Robinson / Nikon Comedy Wildlife

Highly commended winner

Photographer: Takashi Kubo (Japan)

Title: Mafia Boss

Location: Hokkaido Japan

Caption: It looked like he was sucking a cigar, and he looked like a mafia boss.

© Takashi Kubo / Nikon Comedy Wildlife

Highly commended winner

Photographer: Leslie McLeod (Canada)

Title: Hide and seek

Location: Mara North Conservancy, Kenya

Caption: 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!"

© Leslie McLeod / Nikon Comedy Wildlife

Highly commended winner

Photographer: Arvind Mohandas (Germany)

Title: The Contemplative Chimpanzee

Location: Uganda

Caption: 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!

© Arvind Mohandas / Nikon Comedy Wildlife

Highly commended winner

Photographer: Jan Piecha (Germany)

Title: I'll tell you a secret

Location: Germany

Caption: A tiny raccoon is telling a secret to its mum while whispering in her ear.

©Jan Piecha / Nikon Comedy Wildlife

Highly commended winner

Photographer: Marti Phillips (USA)

Title: Are you kidding?

Location: Cape Cross Seal Reserve, Namibia

Caption: Two Cape Fur seals having a laugh

© Marti Phillips / Nikon Comedy Wildlife

Highly commended winner

Photographer: Sanjay Patil (India)

Title: The Rock Star

Location: Maharashtra State, India

Caption: 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 [them]. Male lizards inflate their attractive neck pouch to attract females in the hot summer season. Here is the female lizard standing upright to escape the summer heat.

© Sanjay Patil / Nikon Comedy Wildlife

Highly commended winner

Photographer: Andy Rouse (British)

Title: Alright, mate, back off – this is my bird

Location: South Georgia

Caption: 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!"

© Andy Rouse / Nikon Comedy Wildlife