Founded in 2015 by a pair of professional photographers, the Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards aims to highlight “the lighter side of wildlife photography.” The organization advocates for conservation through good-natured humor.
The contest will close on July 31, but nature lovers can already enjoy the fun through photos that Nikon has released and dubbed “the front-runners” of the contest.
‘Laughing Out Loud’ by Ingo Hamann
Describing the fun picture from Helgoland, Germany, the photographer Ingo Hamann says the newborn seal “seems to be laughing at a good joke.”
‘Did You Hear The One About The…?’ by Wendy-Kaveney
Another comic photo, “Did You Hear The One About The…?” was taken by Wendy-Kaveney from Churchill, Manitoba, Canada. This shot shows a group of polar bears seemingly joking with one another and “laughing hysterically.”
‘Three’s A Crowd’ by Deena Sveinsson
Photographer Deena Sveinsson shot “Three’s A Crowd” in Antarctica. The story behind this particular image is, perhaps, as funny as the photo itself.
Ms. Sveinsson was on a trip to Antarctica, snapping photos of chinstrap penguins. After taking a few normal shots, she noticed that a certain group of three penguins were “hanging out with one another having a good time.”
Ms. Sveinsson walked as quickly as she could toward the group, but as she reached the penguins, they seemed to be in the middle of a “disagreement of some sorts.”
‘Three Heads Are Better Than One’ by John Mullineux
Another hilarious entry has been dubbed “Three Heads Are Better Than One.”
Describing his image, photographer John Mullineux said two male giraffes began fighting “shortly after drinking some water” in the Green Kalahari in Northern Cape, South Africa.
‘Holding on For a Ride’ by Alexander Fine
“Holding on For a Ride” by Alexander Fine, taken in the Lake Clark National Park in southwest Alaska, depicts a mother bear trying to move in vain because her cubs want to go for a ride instead of a walk. It seems many parents can relate to this!
‘Pick Me. Pick Meeeeee’ by Thomas Van Puymbroeck
Photographer Thomas Van Puymbroeck took “Pick Me. Pick Meeeeee” in the sea near Curacao Island in the Caribbean. The photo of a sea turtle is captioned, “Who wants to live in a plastic free ocean? Meeeee!”
Categories in the Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards include Spectrum Photo Birds, Fish and Other Aquatic Species, Insects, and more. They even have a Junior category and a Young Photographer category. The competition will close on July 31st, so there is still time for photographers to send in their most rib-tickling shots.
In December, The Gallery@Oxo in London will host an exhibition highlighting the photos from the contest, during which the winners will be announced. The exhibition will last one week, from December 10 to 16. Prizes for winners will include everything from a safari in Kenya to an iPad.
The senior general manager of marketing at Nikon Europe, Stefan Maier, is enthusiastic about the competition and its future.
“With only one month to go to enter the Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards, we’ve loved seeing all the hilarious entries so far, and look forward to receiving more entertaining wildlife shots over the next month,” he said in a press release.
