The Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards judges have released their shortlisted images for the 2021 prizes and also have opened voting for the People’s Choice Award – inviting the public to vote for its favorite funny photo.
From a hard-working tiger, a giraffe riding a monkey and a laughing snake to a trio of strutting Gentoo penguins on the beaches of the Falkland Islands and a Kangaroo performing a picture-perfect Pavarotti impersonation in Australia, this year’s final shortlist of photographs showcases the biggest mix of animals seen in the competition to date.
The free competition, open to wildlife photography experts and novices, celebrates the hilarity of the natural world and highlights what needs to be done to protect it.
The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards, co-founded in 2015 by professional photographers Paul Joynson-Hicks and Tom Sullam, is a competition focusing on the lighter side of wildlife photography and helping promote wildlife conservation through humor.
This year, the competition is supporting the Save Wild Orangutans organization, an initiative dedicated to safeguarding wild orangutans in and around Gunung Palung National Park in Borneo.
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“We were overwhelmed with the number and quality of entries we received this year, with well over 7,000 photos submitted from every corner of the globe,” said Joynson-Hicks.
“It was an amazing turnout, especially given the impact of the pandemic,” he added. “The huge number of images we receive ever year illustrates the appetite there is to engage with conservation and reminds us that wildlife truly is incredible and hilarious and we must do all we can to protect it.”
The Category and Overall Winners will be announced on October 22. The creator of the top image wins a one-week safari with AlexWalker's Serian in the Masai Mara, Kenya, as well as a unique, handmade trophy from the Art Garage in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
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“Whittling down the list of photographs was harder than ever this year because there were so many funny pictures that had us laughing,” Sullam explained. “We can’t wait to see what the public choose as their favourite.”
The public can cast its vote until October 12 for the chance to win a new iPad.
A young cub decides to use his patient mother as a leaning post as it inspects tree-perching birds nearby.
A male Vervet Monkey was hanging around a bridge over the Luangwa River in South Luangwa National Park looking for some action — handouts from passersby — while ensuring all was on display and in order.
Vine sneaks are very common in western India. When approached, they show aggression by opening their mouth wide open.
The ‘smile’ matches its harmlessness.
The photographer followed this Ruby-crowned Kinglet for about 15 minutes as it hopped from one branch to another in fast succession. “I think it knew I was following it because, all of a sudden, it just stopped and stared at me for all of about three seconds!”
This young female tiger at India's Jim Corbett National Park stood on her hind limbs to be able to scratch her face with a log — although she’s not, as it appears, really carrying it on her shoulders.
This gosling broke away from a pack of birds and hid behind the leg of a bench for a few seconds before poking its little head out to say hello.
A group of Pied starlings perched in a tree at the Rietvlei Nature Reserve in South Africa. The face of this one perfectly depicts many people’s mood on Monday mornings.
A smooth-coated otter carries her baby otter to and fro for its swimming lesson.
A group of monkeys were playing with each other, jumping up and down from a bare branch, when a giraffe came from the right. By the moment the giraffe did pass the branch, one of the monkeys was on his post.
Bald Eagles will use the same nest for years, even decades, adding new material early and throughout the nesting season.
Normally, highly-skilled at snapping branches off trees while in flight, this particular Bald Eagle wasn't showing its best form possibly because it was tired from working non-stop all morning on a new nest.
Although its tumble looks painful, the eagle recovered with just a few sweeping wing strokes and chose to rest a bit before making another lumber run.
On a rainy day in southern Louisiana in early 2021, as the pelicans awoke they shook off the water before heading out to fish.
This particular one almost seemed to be shrugging his shoulders, as if to say, "I have no idea what 2021 will be like."
A frog climbed a flower from a plant - and seemed to celebrate his success.
Polar Bear mom and cubs frolic in the icy waters of the Arctic. They kept dipping under the water and surfaced in this amusing pose.
A tender moment is shared by mom and one cub while the other photo-bombs with a wave to the onlookers. Or, it sure looked like a wave.
A golden silk monkey in Yunnan China. While actually a show of aggression, it looks kind of painful.
A trio of Gentoo Penguins in the Falklands emerged from the water and walked straight in the photographer’s direction. The moment seems to capture some sassy penguin personality.
Isolated inside with your family eager to get out and explore the world? These eastern raccoon kits are, too. Mother raccoon arrived to display just how compact the space is.
The babies clambered all over their mom and each another, struggling to take a look at the exact same time. This photo was taken in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Raccoons move from den to den, often not spending more than one night at a time in a particular one.
