Two Bridled Guillemots in the midst of a domestic dispute; The island of Hornøya in Norway is a hectic mix of chaos and noise, with squabbling seabirds vying for space and nesting sites.
Warren Price, UK – The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2025
The highly anticipated, shortlisted comic images and videos from the Nikon Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2025 have been unveiled and taken together, they offer an amusing collection of funny animal photos captured in the wild.
From playful poses to perfectly timed expressions, this year’s entries showcase wildlife in their most humorous, cute, and outrageous situations.
This year, the Comedy Wildlife Photography competition received a record 10,000 entries from 108 countries, featuring work from “professional photographers, amateur shutterbugs, beginners, and young enthusiasts” — all using a variety of cameras and brands.
Among the prizes for the winners is a safari in Kenya’s Maasai Mara with Alex Walker’s Serian — an adventure that promises unforgettable encounters with wildlife — along with Nikon cameras, bags and photographic equipment.
Authentic Funny Animal Photos For Conservation
From penguins leading sheep and dancing gorillas to a choir of lions, and even a smoking duck, the 2025 finalists are humorous and heartwarming. The organizers emphasize that all entries are 100% authentic, untouched by AI or digital manipulation.
Each year, the Comedy Wildlife Awards supports a sustainable conservation organization and in 2025, it has partnered with the Whitley Fund for Nature (WFN), a U.K.-based charity that empowers conservation pioneers across the Global South.
Over the past three decades, WFN has directed £24 million to 220 conservation leaders in 80 countries, helping to protect countless species and ecosystems.
A Message from the Founders
For the Comedy Wildlife Photography competition, “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 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 empathize with them as fellow inhabitants of the same planet.
“Nikon’s ongoing support has supercharged the competition, reaching more people in more countries than ever before,” says Tom Sullam, co-founder of the Comedy Wildlife Competition. “These inspiring and funny photos and videos help raise awareness of animal and habitat conservation — and crucially, remind us of the fundamental importance of wildlife on our planet and in our lives.”
Awards Night and Exhibition
The Overall Winner, along with the Category and Highly Commended Winners, will be announced on December 9 during an Awards Night in London.
A free public exhibition showcasing all 2025 Award Finalists will run from December 10-14 at the Gallery Oxo in London. It will also be exhibited in venues around the world.
Fonzies advertising, Madagascar
Liliana Luca., Italy – The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2025
After the tourists had left Nosy Komba, Madagascar, Liliana Luca stopped by, letting the silence fall around her when this lemur appeared, staring at her with wide, curious eyes, “as if questioning my presence…or perhaps my clothing choices. Then, with the grace of a stage actor and the timing of a comedian, he raised his hand, licked it thoughtfully, and then paused mid-gesture, as if he knew exactly what he was doing.”
Oh my! Baboon meets elephant; Lower Zambezi, Zambia
Laurent Nilles, Luxembourg – The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2025
A young baboon looks up – and up and up – as an elephant approaches, unsure whether to stand his ground or flip around on his heels and run for his life. He decided to flee shortly after the picture was taken.
Now which direction is my nest? Gannet Bempton Cliffs, Yorkshire, U.K.
Alison Tuck. UK – The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2025
‘Now which direction is my nest’, this gannet might well ask if he could speak with words. This was taken on an obviously windy day on Bempton Cliffs, Yorkshire, during the gannets’ nesting season.
Pied Piper of Penguins, King penguins, Falkland Islands
Ralph Robinson. U.S. – The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2025
Volunteer Point, a headland on the east coast of East Falkland northeast of Stanley, is notable for having about 2,000 pairs of king penguins breed there.
King penguins were once nearly extinct in the Falklands and Volunteer Point is home to much of the Falkland population. “I spent most of the day lying on my belly, often in the sand, watching the Kings,” says Ralph Robinson. “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.”
OMG he’s at it again! Red-Crowned Crane, Kushiro Shitsugen National Park in East Hokkaido, Japan
David Rice, U.S. – The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2025
Crazy antics of the Red-Crowned Cranes of Kushiro Shitsugen National Park in East Hokkaido, Japan, characterize a typical morning.
Territorial Defence Operation, white tailed eagle and goeland; Iceland
Antoine Rezer, France – The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2025
Driving along the edge of a fjord in north-western Iceland, Antoine Rezer spotted some gyrfalcons. “There was a whole family,” he recalls. “My eye is drawn to a larger bird of prey, a white-tailed eagle. Amazing! It lands after making it clear to the falcons that he’s the boss. Then, a seagull arrives and starts harassing the eagle. The gull’s low-level flights follow one after another but are not enough. So the gull changes strategy and drops its bomb on the eagle! The eagle finally flies away, leaving the site to the gull. Motivation can be stronger than size.”
Bad Mouthing, Sri Lankan Leopard, Yala National Park, Sri Lanka
Vinod Liyanage – The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2025
“These are two of three leopard siblings,” Vinod Lyanage explains. “A few minutes before I took this image, they were playing with each other on that boulder. Later one left and this playful interaction happened before they followed their other sibling.”
Paint Me Like One of Your Forest Girls, Orangutan, Borneo, Indonesia
Michael Stavrakakis, Australia) – The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2025
This image was captured in the Tanjung Puting National Park in southern Borneo and features Sandra, the oldest known orangutan living in the area.
A rehabilitated orangutan who had previously lived in captivity, Sandra has since been successfully released back into the wild. Known for her quirky and unique character, she quickly grew comfortable with the photographer’s presence and before long had truly ‘found her stage’.”
Hornbill In A Hurry, Southern Yellow-Billed Hornbill; Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa
Geoff Martin, UK – The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2025
This Southern Yellow 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 perfectly captures the panic of the hornbill at that moment.
The hornbill safely escaped, although its doubtful that the tawny eagle was seriously interested in tackling that hornbill beak anyway.
Peek a Boo, Asian Elephant; Sri Lanka
Henry Szwinto, UK – The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2025
A Sri Lankan Elephant plays peek-a-boo with its ears.
Battle Hug, Asian water monitor lizards; Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park, Singapore
Jessica Emmet,t Singapore – The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2025
While out on a typical overcast morning at the Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park in Singapore, Jessica Emmet’s attention snapped towards two monitors lizards locked in battle in the distance. They were close to the main path, yet they seemed completely unfazed by the people walking, jogging, cycling by or taking phone videos.
In person, the fight felt like an intense battle of strength even though the movements were quite slow – not unlike an evenly matched arm wrestle.
“My photos didn’t reflect this epic battle of wills at all,” says Emmet. “Instead, the photos looked like sweet affectionate snuggles. I don’t often I see monitor lizards fighting as they are mostly solitary.
“However, it wasn’t surprising to see monitor lizards fighting in this area as it’s right under trees where herons are known to nest. That means eggs and food often fall to the ground, not to mentionthat it’s also right next to the river. So, this is prime monitor lizard territory worth fighting for. Just after this photo, a third larger monitor came up and whips them both with its powerful tail.”
Steller Eagles Practice Kung Fu Tango; Rausu, Hokkaido, Japan
Michael Lane, UK – The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2025
Steller Eagles are the heaviest eagles in the world, weighing up to nine kilos and with wingspans up to 2 1/2 meters. They can be found in northern Russia, northern Japan and Korea and it’s estimated there are only about 4,500 adults currently alive.
During winter, an excellent place to photograph these giants of the air is on Hokkaido, northern Japan, where temperatures are regularly -18 degrees Centigrade. In February and March each year, a large ice-flow occurs off the coast near the town of Rausu and it was on a boat trip to the ice-flow, which began before sunrise, that the image was taken.
The Steller eagles are seen in large numbers on the ice-flow and compete for fish with the smaller white-tailed eagles.
As the sun rose and gave spectacular golden light to the birds and reflected off the ice, this pair squabbled over a fish. Not only did one eagle appear to kick the other eagle while having its foot on a fish, they both elevated one wing in unison as if in a synchronized dance.
The Choir, African Lion; Masai Mara
Meline Ellwangerm U.S. – The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2025
A hilariously lucky moment was caught by Maline Ellwangerm as these these three lions yawn at the same time, looking like a cappella singers in a chorus.
Hit the dance floor! Red foxes; Netherlands
Paula Rustemeier, Germany – The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2025
The photo was taken in a nature reserve in the Netherlands. Foxes don’t get hunted there and therefore are seen during the day as well.
“I have found that the best way to photograph foxes, especially young ones, is just being present,” explains Paula Rustemeier. “They usually get either curious or see you as something natural, not dangerous and come close eventually. I had several foxes nipping at my shoes already like this, as well as foxes catching mice just a couple meters away from me.
“This was my tactic with these foxes, too. I followed and documented them for several months while they grew up. Their den lay in a sandy valley. When dawn set, they met up at this spot, got really active and often played together, just like in the image.”
Outdoor smoking zone Mallard duxk. Neumarkt, Bavaria, Germany
Lars Beygang., Germany – The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2025
On a cold, early morning at a local pond in Bavaria, the temperature was so low that it made the breath quite visible against the sun. This mallard duck perched on a fence, calling out into the air and looking like he had just stepped outside for a quick smoke in the cold morning light.
Relaxing In The Trees! Yellow-cheeked Gibbon; Cat Tien National Park, Vietnam
Diana Rebman, U.S. – The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2025
This Yellow-cheeked male Gibbon was just hanging out in the trees in Cat Tien National Park, Vietnam, looking like he’s waiting for a beer to be served.
The Frog Prince of the Grape Vine, Green Tree Frog; Southeast Qld Australia
Beate Ammer. Australia – The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2025
“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,” Beate Ammer says. “This charming Green Tree frog seems to have mistaken the vine for his royal court, lounging among the plump fruit as if he’s the monarch of the orchard.”
Monkey Circus, Baboons; Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe
Kalin Botev, Bulgaria – The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2025
The Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe, known for its vast landscapes and its huge elephant herds, seems to wake up at the beginning of the rainy season as nature revives after the first rains in many months.
“One evening on our way to the camp we bumped into a troop of baboons playing in a huge tree,” Kalin Botev explains. “One of the baboons was sitting on a big brunch and the others were running up and down the tree in circles. Every time they passed by the sitting baboon, it was trying to catch them. The play continued for more than 15 minutes and the baboons seemed to really enjoy it.”
Funny Animal Photos Competition Dates
The winners of the 2025 Nikon Comedy Awards Photography Awards will be announced on December 9.
The competition categories include: Alex Walker’s Serian Mammals Category, Spectrum Photo Birds Category, Think-Tank Reptiles and Amphibians Category, Fish and Other Aquatic Species, Insects Category, Nikon Young Photographer (up to 25 years old), Nikon Junior Category (up to 16 years old), Amazing Internet PortfolioCategory and the Nikon Video Category.
The People’s Choice Award will be open from December 10, 2025, until March 1, 2026, for the public to vote for their favorite funny animal photos, with the winner of this category being announced on March 12, 2026.
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