The ‘world’s funniest wildlife pictures competitors’ has revealed its shortlist, displaying nature at its comedic finest
Good comedy is all about timing, and for proof look no additional than the pictures shortlisted for this 12 months’s Comedy Wildlife Awards.
Slapstick and foolish, they reveal a unique facet to nature, capturing fleeting photographs of wildlife at humorous and unbelievable moments. Just like the gorilla dancing within the jungle (most important image), the gull emptying its bowels on a white-tailed eagle, the gurning bear, and the duck that appears prefer it’s smoking – all once-in-a-lifetime cash photographs that photographers may by no means plan for.
However there’s a severe facet to the “world’s funniest wildlife pictures competitors”. A tenth of the earnings from this 12 months’s competitors go to the Whitley Fund for Nature, which over the past three a long time has funnelled £24m to grassroots conservationists who’re quietly “saving the world”.
“These photos mix wit and surprise to have a good time nature’s character, whereas emphasising the urgency of conservation,” mentioned Stefan Maier of Nikon Europe, which sponsors the award. “[They] spark pleasure whereas reminding us why our wild world is value defending.”
In accordance with Tom Sullam, co-founder of the Comedy Wildlife Awards, the annual gong obtained a file variety of entries this 12 months.
A topped sifakas licks its finger suggestively in Madagascar. Picture: Liliana Luca/Nikon Comedy Wildlife
“[We are] reaching extra folks in additional nations than ever earlier than, serving to us elevate consciousness of animal and habitat conservation and crucially, spotlight the elemental significance of getting wildlife on our planet and in our lives,” he mentioned.
The Comedy Wildlife Awards shortlist comes every week after London’s Pure Historical past Museum introduced the finalists for its Wildlife Photographer of the 12 months Award. The annual competitors additionally obtained a file variety of entries, highlighting the rising curiosity within the pure world.
The Comedy Wildlife Awards will announce its winners on 9 December at an occasion in London, which might be adopted by a short exhibition (10-14 December) on the Oxo Gallery, the place all of the finalists might be displayed.
The Folks’s Selection Award might be open from 10 December till 1 March 2026 for the general public to vote on their favorite, with the winner being introduced 12 March.
Predominant picture: A gorilla cuts some shapes in Volcanoes Nationwide Park, Rwanda. Credit score: Mark Meth-Cohn/Nikon Comedy Wildlife
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