The finalists of the 2025 Nikon Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards were announced today:
Alison Tuck, Ottershaw, United Kingdom
Title: Now which direction is my nest?
Description: A windy day on Bempton Cliffs during the nesting season.
Animal: Gannet
Location of shot: Bempton Cliffs, Yorkshire, UK
Andrew Mortimer, Melbourne, Australia
Title: If I have seen further…
Description: If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giant [frog] s. In a bore casing on a minesite tenement around 2 hours drive from Leonora, there live a colony of frogs. Slightly too short to see over the PVC casing, they make do wherever they can.
Animal: Frog
Location of shot: Leonora
Andrey Giljov, St. Petersburg, Russian Federation
Title: Welcome to Zen Lemur Yoga Course!
Description: Instructor Lemur demonstrates perfect enthusiasm, reaching high to embrace the universe. Student Lemur contemplates whether enlightenment is worth this much effort before breakfast. Flexibility? Optional. Dramatic flair? Mandatory.”
Animal: Ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta)
Location of shot: Anja Community Reserve, Madagascar
Annette Kirby, Whyalla. Australia
Title: Go away
Description: This was taken in Japan where I was observing a White-Tailed Sea Eagle putting their fish in a hole and protecting it. This one had a fish and saw another Eagle coming in to try and steal it.
Animal: White Tailed Sea Eagle
Location of shot: Hokkaido Japan
Antoine Rezer, Bonne, France
Title: Territorial Defence Operation
Description: Rest day in Iceland after a scientific field session of 5 weeks in Greenland. White tailed eagle was harassed by a goeland !
Animal: white tailed eagle and goeland
Location of shot: NW Iceland
Beate Ammer, Warwick, Australia
Title: “The Frog Prince of the Grape Vine”
Description: Meet the Frog Prince of my little garden — he’s been lazing around guarding my grape vine, waiting for a kiss, but I think he’s just here for the grapes. This charming amphibian seems to have mistaken the vine for his royal court, lounging among the plump fruit as if he’s the monarch of the orchard.
Animal: Green Tree Frog
Location of shot: Southeast QLD, AUSTRALIA
Bingqian Gao, London, United Kingdom
Title: What do you mean I need to see a dentist?
Description: A porcupine fish that has a mouthful of algae and seems to have trouble closing his mouth. So he has this eternal shocked look, and his dental hygiene is probably bothering me more than it’s bothering him!
Animal: Porcupine fish
Location of shot: Baja California Sur, Mexico
Bret Saalwaechter, Tracy, United States
Title: I Just Can’t Wait To Be King
Description: While photographing a pride of lions in the Serengeti, I watched as a group of cubs channeled their innter toddler tantrum, relentlessly demanding milk and attention from their mother, much to the exasperation of the adult lions. Life in the dry season is no picnic—lions are anxiously waiting for the Great Migration and the feast it promises—but it makes for some incredible wildlife behavior and these cubs were the stars of the show. For over an hour, they followed their mother around a famous Serengeti kopje—those iconic rocky outcrops that dot the landscape—alternating between trying to suckle and play. Each time the mother, already in a foul mood from the sweltering heat, would give a quick roar of disapproval and escape the circus. But the cubs, like any persistent little ones, would chase her down, nipping at her and yelping for more attention. This back-and-forth drama played out again and again, until I captured the perfect moment: the entire pride, in perfect unison, seemed to say, “Not this again!”
Animal: Lion
Location of shot: Serengeti National Park, Tanzania
Chris Stanley, Glendale, United States
Title: All Smiles
Description: Flame Skimmer Dragonfly lands on the stalk of an Aloe Vera plant and flashes a quick smile for the camera.
Animal: Flame Skimmer Dragonfly
Location of shot: Glendale, Arizona USA
Christy Grinton, North Saanich, Canada
Title: Bad Hair Day!
Description: A mother Grey Squirrel was moving her babies to a new nest. The grass she was running in was wet from the nights rain. After she moved her last baby into the nest, she popped her head out while her tail was still sticking out. It looked like she had just come out of the shower and ran to answer the door.
Animal: Grey Squirrel
Location of shot: Victoria, British Columbia
David Fettes, Chobham, United Kingdom
Title: Great Hair Day
Description: An umbrella bird was sitting on the ground and seemed to be unwell or injured (we summoned a vet – not an easy find where we were.) Initially its feathers on its head wee swept back so I could see its eyes and beak but then it pulled the forwards – and disappeared!
Animal: Umbrella Bird
Location of shot: Pantanal, Brazil
David Rice, Lake Forest Park, United States
Title: OMG he’s at it again!
Description: Crazy morning antics of the Red-Crowned Cranes
Animal: Red-Crowned Crane
Location of shot: Kushiro Shitsugen National Park in East Hokkaido
Diana Rebman, Portland, United States
Title: Relaxing in the trees!
Description: This Yellow-cheeked Gibbon was just hanging out in the trees. Looks like he’s waiting for a beer to be served.
Animal: Yellow-cheeked Gibbon, male
Location of shot: Cat Tien National Park, Vietnam
Badermann Erkko, Kirkkonummi, Finland
Title: Landing Gears Down
Description: Red-throated Loon landing like a Floatplane
Animal: Red-throated Loon
Location of shot: Finland
Geoff Martin, Little Bookham, United Kingdom
Title: Hornbill In A Hurry
Description: This hornbill was spooked by the incoming tawny eagle and decided a quick exit was probably wise. Its ungainly departure was captured in a sequence of shots but this one for me perfectly captured the panic of the hornbill at that moment. The hornbill safely escaped although I doubt the tawny eagle was seriously interested in tackling that hornbill beak anyway.
Animal: Southern Yellow-Billed Hornbill
Location of shot: Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa
Grayson Bell, Biddeford, United States
Title: “Baptism Of The Unwilling Convert”
Description: These two frogs were fighting over their territory in our pond in Maine. It looked to me like one of them was getting baptized against his will. I thought it was kind of a funny situation.
Animal: Green Frog
Location of shot: Biddeford, Maine USA
Henry Szwinto, Boldre Nr Lymington, United Kingdom
Title: Peek a Boo
Description: A Sri Lankan Elephant playing peek a boo
Animal: Asian Elephant
Location of shot: Sri Lanka
Hikkaduwa Liyanage Prasantha Vinod, Angoda, Sri Lanka
Title: Bad mouthing
Description: These are two siblings the smaller one being the female leopard. They were playing with each other and for a moment the male just put his arm on her shoulder and appereared as if he is bad mouthing of another leopard.
Animal: Sri Lankan Leopard
Location of shot: Yala National Park, Sri Lanka.
Jenny Stock, Sydney, Australia
Title: Smiler
Description: I kept returning to this little smiling little fish that was popping in and out of its little home – a hole in the coral. Its face was so expressive and characterful. The challenge was to get it comfortable with me being there and then for her to face me directly. It was a peek-a-boo moment!
Animal: Bluestriped Fangblenny fish
Location of shot: Philippines
Jessica Emmett, Singapore, Singapore
Title: Battle Hug
Description: Two Asian water monitors were locked in battle right by a main path in Bishan-Ang Mo Kio park, Singapore. A battle of strength and wills never looked so affectionate!
Animal: Asian water monitor
Location of shot: Bishan-Ang Mo Kio park, Singapore
John Speirs, Oban, United Kingdom
Title: it is tough being a duck
Description: duck bathing
Animal: golden eye
Location of shot: argyll
Kalin Botev, Sofia, Bulgaria
Title: Monkey Circus
Description: A troop of baboons was playing in a tree in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe. Several baboons were jumping off the tree, going around again climbing back and jumping down again while one of the baboons was standing on the tree, tossing the jumping baboons.
Animal: Baboon
Location of shot: Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe
Lars Beygang, Hersbruck, Germany
Title: Outdoor smoking zone
Description: On a cold morning I was outside taking photos at a local pond. The temperatures made the breath quite visible against the sun. I noticed a loud call from a garden fence nearby where this male mallard called a few times. It really looks like he is smoking a cigarette outside in its garden, since it is not allowed to smoke inside.
Animal: Mallard
Location of shot: Neumarkt, Bavaria, Germany
Laurent Nilles, Reuland, Luxembourg
Title: Oh my!
Description: A young baboon looking up as an elephant approaches, unsure whether to stand his ground or to run away. He decided to flee shortly after the picture was taken.
Animal: Baboon, elephant
Location of shot: Lower Zambezi, Zambia
Liliana Luca, Bologna, Italy
Title: Fonzies advertising
Description: Il lemure (sifaka) dopo che a finito di mangiare ha iniziato a leccarsi le dita e mi e venuta subito in mente la pubblicità degli famosi croccantini di mais e formaggio, i Fonzies.
Animal: Propithecus coronatus (Lemure)
Location of shot: Madagascar
Magnus Berggren, Luleå, Sweden
Title: Black Woodpecker camouflaging as an arrow
Description: While a black woodpecker flew by, I captured a stunning photo just as it tucked its wings, creating the perfect illusion of sheer speed.
Animal: Black Woodpecker
Location of shot: Luleå, Sweden
Mark Meth-Cohn, MILNTHORPE, United Kingdom
Title: Aaaaaww Mum!
Description: Caring Gorilla mum giving her infant a big sloppy kiss!
Animal: Gorilla
Location of shot: Rwanda
Massimo FELICI, Rieti, Italy
Title: Darling, please stop!
Description: During a heavy rain, the male shakes his mane several times, annoying his partner.
Animal: Lions
Location of shot: Tanzania, Serengeti.
Meline Ellwanger, Bozeman, United States
Title: The Choir
Description: A hilariously lucky moment I caught of these these three lions yawning at the same time.
Animal: African Lion
Location of shot: Masai Mara
Michael Lane, Avington, United Kingdom
Title: Steller Eagles Practice Kung Fu Tango
Description: Photographed in very early morning light from a boat sailing from Rausu, Hokkaido in Northern Japan. These two eagles were fighting over the fish held by the right hand eagle under his claw. The decisive moment captured the kick with both eagles extending the same wing upwards as if in a synchronised dance. The golden light at dawn and shadows complete the image. The image is a successful winner in FIAP International competitions but only published in their catalogues.
Animal: Steller Eagles
Location of shot: Rausu, Hokkaido, Japan
Michael Stavrakakis, Melbourne, Australia
Title: Paint Me Like One of Your Forest Girls
Description: Our jungle photoshoot turned Titanic real quick. This fabulous female orangutan found her stage, caught the perfect light, and struck a pose like she’d been waiting her whole life for this moment.
Animal: Orangutan
Location of shot: Borneo, Indonesia
Miles Astray, Montreal, Canada
Title: F L A M I N G O N E
Description: We’ve all seen a flamingo, but have you ever seen a flamingone? Only an AI could make that up. Or did I just make that up? With AI-generated content remodelling the digital landscape rapidly while sparking an ever-fiercer debate about its implications for the future of content, its creators, and its consumers, I entered F L A M I N G O N E into the AI category of the 1839 Awards. That oddball took home two awards, which were revoked when I revealed that the emphasis of this surreal creature is on real, as in real animal, real photograph. The idea was to prove that Mother Nature and her human interpreters can still beat the machine, and that creativity and emotion are more than just a string of digits. The picture shows a flamingo whose head is apparently missing, but I promise it’s there somewhere. In fact, the bird is just going about its morning routine at a Caribbean beach, head tucked beneath the torso to give the plumage a good cleaning.
Animal: Flamingo
Location of shot: Aruba
Paula Rustemeier, Preußisch Oldendorf, Germany
Title: Hit the dance floor! Foxes in a breakdance battle.
Description: I frequently visited these three young playful fox siblings and they often went for play sessions in the sand, just like that particular evening. The movements are always very fast, the moments very short. The foxes run from one side to another. It wasn’t until I checked my photos back at home that I saw this funny picture, where it looked like the fox in the middle was showing off some breakdance skills!
Animal: Red foxes (vulpes vulpes)
Location of shot: Netherlands
Peter Reinold, Kent, United States
Title: Stretch your Leg
Description: Actually just out on capturing alligators but then this guy showed up and performed right in front of the everyone on the boardwalk. Not everyone was so excited about this guy than me.
Animal: Eastern Lubber Grasshopper
Location of shot: Everglades, Florida, USA
Ralph Robinson, Cambridge, United States
Title: Pied Piper of Penguins
Description: Our last day of shooting in the Falkland Islands, after a week of island hopping, was at Volunteer Point, a headland on the east coast of East Falkland, northeast of Stanley. It received its name in 1815, when the sealing ship Volunteer left a boat’s crew there to collect seal skins while it went in search of opportunities elsewhere. Volunteer Point is notable for having about 2000 pairs of king penguins breed here, at the most northerly part of their range. King penguins were once nearly extinct in the Falklands, and Volunteer Point contains most of the Falkland population.I spent most of the day lying on my belly, often in the sand, watching the Kings. What a show! Not far away, a shepherd tended his flock of sheep, and it appeared for a moment that these king penguins were leading the way. Long Live the Kings!
Animal: King penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus)
Location of shot: Falkland Islands
Stefan Cruysberghs, Scherpenheuvel, Belgium
Title: Squirrel airborne: surrender mode
Description: This flying squirrel looks like it’s throwing in the towel mid-air—arms wide, total surrender!
Animal: Red squirrel
Location of shot: Belgium – Diest
Valtteri Mulkahainen, Sotkamo, Finland
Title: Smile, you’re being photographed.
Description: When I was photographing bears, this one year old bear cub saw it and started smiling at me. Apparently he had already had to pose in front of photographers.
Animal: Brown bear
Location of shot: Martinselkonen village, Suomussalmi district. Finl
Warren Price, Upper Gravenhurst, United Kingdom
Title: Headlock!
Description: Two Bridled Guillemots in the midst of a domestic dispute. The island of Hornøya is always a hectic mix of chaos and noise, squabbling seabirds vying for space and nesting sites. Sometimes you just want to bite your neighbours head off … literally !
Animal: Bridled Guillemots
Location of shot: Hornøya, Norway.
Yann Chauvette, Quebec City, Canada
Title: The wig
Description: A Greater One-Horned Rhino feasting on aquatic fine dining, diving underwater and getting back up with a new wig made out of his delicious meal.
Animal: Greater One-Horned Rhino
Location of shot: Chitwan National Park, Nepal
London, 23 October 2025: the Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards are absolutely delighted to reveal the hotly anticipated finalists of the 2025 competition. The shortlist consists of 40 Standalone Images, 3 Portfolio Entries and 10 Video Entries, and they are a cracking collection of jaw dropping and laugh out loud photos of some of the most incredible wildlife that we share this planet with.
Once again, the funniest wildlife photography competition in the world has received a record number of brilliant and hilarious entries, with just under 10,000 in total from 108 countries, all competing to win the top prize of an incredible one-week safari with Alex Walker’s Serian in the Masai Mara. Other amazing prizes include a Z6III Nikon Camera, a Z50II Nikon Camera and the brand new Nikon ZR plus all the kit thanks to our headline partner Nikon as well as some of the best-selling photography rucksacks in the business from ThinkTANK. Among the contenders for the funniest wildlife image of 2025 is a dancing gorilla, a choir of lions, a smoking duck and some awesome frog teamwork! Just the usual cohort you have come to expect from us. This year we are also chuffed to share 10 fabulous videos of wildlife’s funniest moments caught on camera, like the surfing heron and an orangutan living his best life.
The Awards were co-founded in 2015 by professional photographers Paul Joynson-Hicks MBE and Tom Sullam to create a competition that fused exceptional wildlife photography and the positive power of humour in a bid to help promote the conservation of wildlife and habitats that our precious planet relies on. The images are all authentic, and absolutely no AI or digital manipulation is permitted to create the photographs.
Each year the competition supports a sustainable conservation organisation and once again Comedy Wildlife are delighted to be working with Whitley Fund for Nature (WFN), a UK charity that supports conservation pioneers working in their home countries across the Global South. Over the past thirty years, it has channelled £24 million to 220 conservationist leaders in 80 countries and we are really pleased to be able to shine a spotlight on the amazing work they do and hope you will join us in supporting them.
Our fantastic team of highly expert judges will be busy over the next few weeks doing their homework and picking their favourites.
Stefan Maier, Nikon Europe Senior General Manager Marketing says: “The Nikon Comedy Wildlife finalists are in, and we’re excited to share with you the brilliant images showcasing unique talent of photographers from every corner of the globe. These images combine wit and wonder to celebrate nature’s character, while emphasising the urgency of conservation. At Nikon, we’re proud to support a competition that sparks joy while reminding us why our wild world is worth protecting.”
Tom Sullam, Comedy Wildlife Competition Co-founder says: ‘We had an awesome year last year and are absolutely delighted to be able to partner with the Nikon team again for 2025. Their ongoing support has supercharged the competition, reaching more people in more countries than ever before, helping us raise awareness of animal and habitat conservation and crucially, highlight the fundamental importance of having wildlife on our planet and in our lives. These inspiring and funny photos and videos do just that. It’s a privilege to be part of this exciting journey, making us all laugh and we can’t wait to announce the winners in December.
The Overall Winner, Category and Highly Commended Winners will be announced on Tuesday 9th December at an Awards Night in London, which will be followed by a glorious exhibition for one week (and one week only) from 10 -14 December showcasing all the 2025 Award Finalists at the Gallery@Oxo, thanks to the support of our awesome competition partners at Nikon. This is an amazing chance to see all the Finalists up close – for free – and experience the wonders of wildlife by some unbelievably talented photographers. Everyone is welcome! For details on other Comedy Wildlife Exhibitions, please see our exhibitions page on the website.
The People’s Choice Award will be open from 10th December until March 1st 2026 for the public to vote on their favourite, with the winner of this category being announced 12th March 2026.
The shortlist will be scrutinized by our wonderful judges, including Nikon Creators Cameron Whitnall, Hannah Stitfall and Roxy Furman. They join our regular cohort of expert judges, TV presenter Kate Humble, actor and comedian Hugh Dennis, world renowned wildlife photographer Will Burrard-Lucas and Nikon Ambassador Daisy Gilardini, wildlife expert and co-founder of The Born Free Foundation Will Travers OBE, and Bella Lack, a super young, passionate conservationist.
Thanks to our wonderful team of competition supporters and sponsors, without whom we would cease to be: Nikon, Alex Walker’s Serian, Spectrum Photo, Amazing Internet and ThinkTANK.
