Nikon Comedy Wildlife Award winners for 2024
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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)
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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)
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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This article comes from DP Review and can be read on the original site.
