“Scream” by Sergey Savvi (Russian Federation). Animal: Black-and-white ruffed lemur. Location of shot: Madagascar.
“The lemur can’t hold his emotions.”
The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards has announced their 2023 finalists, giving us our feel-good fix for the day. This year’s shortlist includes 41 standalone photos, three portfolios, and three videos that show off the silly side of wildlife. In addition, the People’s Choice Award is now open for voting, which allows the public to have their say in who has the funniest animal photo this year.
From an overly expressive lemur to a kangaroo playing air guitar, this year’s finalists have captured animals in all types of funny situations. Some of the photos, like a dragonfly perched on a happy turtle’s nose, are simply adorable. Others, like a gray fox lounging with a piece of wood in its mouth, pose in ways that make their actions seem almost human. And some, like a batfish swimming in front of a diver, rely on the quick timing of the photographer to create a funny scene.
But no matter how the images were captured, they all share a common denominator—they make us laugh. And the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards have been using laughter to shine a light on wildlife conservation for the past eight years. In fact, each year the organizers select a sustainable conservation organization to support. This year, they’re working with Whitley Fund for Nature (WFN), a UK charity that supports conservation leaders working in their home countries across the Global South.
While we wait for the winners to be announced on November 23, we looked through the shortlist and select some of our favorites to enjoy. Scroll down to see them, and don’t forget to vote for the People’s Choice Award. Everyone who votes will also be entered in a draw for a chance to win a £500 (a little over US$600) cash prize.
Check out some of our favorite finalists from the 2023 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards.
“Angry Bird” by Michael Erwin (United Kingdom). Animal: Little owl. Location of shot: Wales.
“A little owl stares as only they can.”
“What nice teeth you have” by Henry Keepin. Animal: African Wild Dog. Location of shot: Lion Sands Game Reserve, Kruger National Park, SA. “I photographed this Painted Wolf at Lion Sands Game Reserve, a protected reserve with open borders next to the Kruger National Park in South Africa. It is wearing a tracker because, sadly, this species is endangered and is therefore being closely monitored by scientists. There may only be 1400 left in the wild, and 300 left in this part of Africa with one of the main reasons for this being persecution from humans. We need to learn to love our beaming neighbors!”
“Air Guitar Roo” by Jason Moore (Australia). Animal: Western Grey Kangaroo. Location of shot: Perth, Australia
“I was driving past a mob of Western Grey Kangaroos feeding in an open field that was filled with attractive yellow flowers. I had my camera with me, so I stopped to grab a few photos. I suddenly noticed this individual adopt a humorous pose—to me, it looks like he’s practicing strumming on his Air Guitar.”
“The Happy Turtle” by Tzahi Finkelstein (Israel). Animal: Swamp turtle. Location of shot: Jezreel Valley, Israel.
“The swamp turtle is surprised and smiles at the dragonfly resting on its nose.”
“Part of Your World” by Danielle Goonan (United States). Animal: Bat Fish. Location of shot: Seychelles.
“This trip to the Seychelles was my first big trip after getting scuba certified. Caught this on one of the dives.
“Hang Loose” by Christian Hargasser (Germany). Animal: Lion. Location of shot: Masai Mara.
“Masai Mara—it was already half past six in the evening and almost dark… I caught this very short moment when I did this funny sitting position in the middle of playing.”
“Otter Ballerinas” by Otter Kwek (Singapore). Animal: Smooth-coated Otter. Location of shot: Singapore.
“Arabesque otter.”
All of the photos are also eligible for the People’s Choice Award, which is now open to the public for voting.
“Doing the Tango” by Danny Sullivan (United States). Animal: Wild Mustang. Location of shot: McCullagh Peaks, Wyoming.
“These two stallions show off their athletic abilities while fighting each other. No horses were hurt doing the Tango.”
“Teddy Buddies” by Thomas Vijayan (Canada). Animal: Grizzly bears. Location of shot: Katmai National Park and Preserve, Alaska, USA.
“At Katmai National Park, Grizzly bears are in abundance, and hence it is a photographer’s paradise. However, the challenge here is clicking a unique frame. This image is full of expressions and proper eye contact by both the bears; hence it is a perfect frame of love and friendship. To get this image I laid down flat on the water and stayed there for a long waiting for the right moment to click.”
“Excuse me, sir but I think you’re a little too young to be smoking” by Dakota Vaccaro (United States). Animal: Grey Fox. Location of shot: Virginia, USA.
“While I was working deep in the Virginian woods, a family of grey foxes took up residence under the deck of the abandoned cottage next to my work housing. One day while practicing their hunting skills on bits of moss and branches, one of the kits lunged at a small chunk of wood and started rolling around with his prize. Tired after his hunt, the kit lounged on his belly, still holding the wood in his mouth, which gave the strong resemblance of a cigar. I was very envious of the kit at this moment cause who wouldn’t want to just lay around all day relaxing.”
“Oh my, talk about poking your nose into someone else’s business!” by Bill Gozansky (United States). Animal: Angolan Giraffe.
Location of shot: Onguma Game Reserve, Namibia, Africa.
“An unusual configuration of giraffes at a waterhole in the Onguma Game Reserve in Namibia, Africa.”
“The Floral Feast Chronicles” by Alex Pansier (Netherlands). Animal: Ground squirrels. Location of shot: Vienna.
“This charming collection of photographs captures a quartet of mischievous ground squirrels, each engaging in their own hilarious antics as they attempt to nibble on a colorful assortment of flowers. From the surprised expressions of the caught-in-the-act culprits to the determined munchers and the territorial nibblers, these candid moments offer a delightful glimpse into the playful and sometimes competitive world of these furry floral aficionados.”
“The rainforest dandy” by Delphine Casimir (Belgium). Animal: Monkey. Location of shot: Bali.
“This picture was taken in the monkey forest in Ubud, Bali. This place is a crazy place where monkeys are king! sometimes they give a show, sometimes, they climb on you to look for fleas or steal the piece of biscuit you are trying to eat.”
“Just a kiss” by Brigitte Alcalay-Marcon (France). Animal: Chacma baboon. Location of shot: Kruger National Park. South Africa.
“This young chacma baboon is sitting on it’s mother back playing the fool.
The winners of the photo contest will be announced on November 23, 2023.
“Now-thats-a-selfie” by Jaroslaw Kolacz (Poland). Animal: Swan. Location of shot: Gdańsk-Brzeźno beach, Poland.
“Swan on the beach was very interested in me.”
“Dispute” by Jacek Stankiewicz (Poland). Animal: Greenfinch (Chloris chloris). Location of shot: Bialowieza forest
“I caught this scene while watching birds in the Bialowieza Forest. The young greenfinch was still being fed by its parents. However, from time to time, the birds looked like they were having an argument. My friends interpret this scene in two ways. One, a young naughty kid is arguing with a parent. Two, one kid is reporting to the parent that their brother did something wrong: look, he has broken the glass in the window.”
“Fake news!” by Matti Rauvala (Finland). Animal: Sulawesi macaque. Location of shot: Sulawesi.
“Sulawesi macaque reading news.”
“Flossing Beaver” by Jorn Vangoidtsenhoven (United States). Animal: Beaver. Location of shot: Grand Teton National Park, WY, USA
“Even beavers floss before and after every meal!”
“I finally learned to fly…or not?!” by Tímea Ambrus (Hungary). Animal: Ground squirrel. Location of shot: Austria.
“The ground squirrel jumped as if he could fly. Unfortunately, he has no wings. To his surprise, he fell back to the ground.”
“I finally learned to fly…or not?!” by Tímea Ambrus (Hungary). Animal: Ground squirrel. Location of shot: Austria.
“The ground squirrel jumped as if he could fly. Unfortunately, he has no wings. To his surprise, he fell back to the ground.”
“The Two Step” by Wayne Sorensen (Australia). Animal: Whiptail Wallaby (known as Pretty Faced Wallaby). Location of shot: Cape Hillsborough, Australia.
“Heads back. Arms out. Now it’s time for the two-step as these wallabies take their dance to the next level.”
“I don’t know” by Jakub Wozny (Poland). Animal: Dragonfly.
“I took this photo during a beautiful sunrise. The dragonfly was sitting on a horsetail surrounded by dew, and cleaning itself.”