Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

Nature photography is an incredibly rich medium.

From the original masters, such as Ansel Adams, whose black and white images of the National Parks helped define the milieu of landscapes, to modern experimentalists, such as Reuben Wu, whose unnatural lighting put a new spin on framing the outdoors, Mother Nature has provided us with a gorgeous palette.

Rocks, rivers, and horizons aren’t the only things that lend to pleasing photography. Some of the best fodder for the visual realm comes from Earth’s critters. Many distinguished artists have won prestigious awards for being in the right place – often remote – to witness something extremely raw, rare, or gorgeous.

But one photography competition looks to capture something more lighthearted from the planet’s fauna. The Comedy Wildlife Awards aim to solicit goofy imagery for a purpose: “Conservation through Competition.”

In 2015, British wildlife photographer Paul Joynson-Hicks was living in East Africa. He looked through some of his work when he came across a couple of amusing snaps: an eagle looking through its back legs and the rear end of a warthog. As he laughed at these candid photos, an idea struck him. Humorous images of animals could be a great way of raising awareness about endangered species.

As the group’s website puts it, “A funny animal photo is incredibly effective because there are no barriers to understanding, or taboos that must be negotiated. It taps into the impulse for anthropomorphism (big word!) which is well-documented as one of the most powerful triggers for human empathy. To really understand animals and the issues that affect them, you need to empathise with them as fellow inhabitants of the same planet.”

So, Joynson-Hicks and Tom Sullam launched a yearly contest, soliciting the world’s funniest animal photos. In addition to some incredible visuals, they hoped to raise the profiles of animals in need of conservation. Further, they dedicated 10% of any revenue to the Whitley Fund for Nature, which focuses on animals in the Global South.

Each year, anyone can enter original images into a slew of categories:

Mammals
Birds
Reptiles and Amphibians
Fish and Other Aquatic Species
Insects
Portfolio/Collection
Video

The portfolio category is intended to be four images that somehow cohere or create a theme. Additionally, categories for artists under 25 and 16 give inexperienced photographers a shot at winning awards.

An overall winner emerges from the best of the best.

Trophies, cameras, and safaris await the top images, but the real winners are we the viewers.

The group recently announced 2024’s superlatives. The top overall spot went to Milko Marchetti, who submitted “Stuck squirrel.”

A fantastic split-second capture.

The other category winners were also sublime:

Birds – “Whiskered Tern crash on landing” by Damyan Petkov

Reptiles and Amphibians – “Frog in a balloon” by Eberhard Ehmke

Fish and Other Aquatic Species – “Unexpected role swap” by Przemyslaw Jakubczyk

Insects – “Mantis Flamenca” by Jose Miguel Gallego Molina

Portfolio – “Dancing To The Music, Rock guitar, Roly Poly, Weight Lifting” by Flynn Thaitanunde-Lobb

To view these winners and honorable mentions, visit the 2024 Winners page and the gallery with finalists and victors from past years.

Did the correct photo take 2024’s crown?

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