The finalists for the 2025 Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards have been announced, showcasing the most hilarious and unexpected moments from the animal kingdom. This year's collection features a dancing gorilla, a choir of singing lions, and a smoking duck, proving once again that nature can be just as funny as it is magnificent. The international photography competition continues to demonstrate that wildlife conservation and humor make a perfect pair.
The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards were established in 2015 by photographers Paul Joynson-Hicks and Tom Sullam with a clear mission: to raise awareness about wildlife protection and their habitats through extraordinary images combined with a healthy dose of humor. The competition has grown into a global movement that attracts photographers from around the world, all seeking to capture those perfectly timed moments when animals display surprisingly human-like behavior.
This year's competition received nearly 10,000 submissions from 108 countries, with all photographs guaranteed to be authentic and unmanipulated. The contest strictly prohibits the use of artificial intelligence or digital manipulation, ensuring that every hilarious moment captured is genuinely natural. The images focus on unexpected wildlife behavior, from amusing facial expressions to curious everyday scenes in the animal kingdom, creating a unique blend of entertainment and environmental awareness.
The competition features several categories including mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, and fish, along with special prizes for young photographers under 25 and 16 years old respectively. A video category has also been added to showcase moving moments of animal comedy. The grand prize winner will receive a week-long safari in Kenya's Masai Mara Nature Reserve, while other prizes include Nikon cameras and high-quality photography equipment.
Public participation is encouraged through the People's Choice Award, where viewers can vote for their favorite images from December 10, 2025, through March 1, 2026. The finalist images will be displayed at the GalleryOxo in London from December 10-14, with free admission for all visitors. The winners will be announced during a celebratory awards ceremony on December 9.
The competition serves a greater purpose beyond entertainment, as a portion of the proceeds supports the Whitley Fund for Nature (WFN), a British foundation that has been supporting conservation projects in over 80 countries in the Global South for 30 years. To date, approximately 24 million pounds have been channeled into the work of more than 200 environmental conservationists worldwide.
"By combining laughter with learning, the organizers want to show that nature conservation can be enjoyable," said Stefan Maier, Nikon Europe's director. "These inspiring, funny images make people smile and remind us why our wild world is worth protecting." The awards have evolved into much more than just a photography contest, becoming a platform that celebrates the lighter side of nature while promoting serious conservation messages.
The free competition remains open to everyone, from hobby photographers to professionals, democratizing wildlife photography and encouraging diverse perspectives on animal behavior. Each year, the winning images travel around the world, showcasing that animals are not only majestic but also surprisingly human in their moments of clumsiness and unexpected behavior. The Comedy Wildlife Awards continue to prove that environmental awareness can be both educational and thoroughly entertaining, creating a unique bridge between conservation science and popular culture.
