Winners of the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards Showcase Animals at Their Funniest

The newly-launched Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards hopes that you'll chuckle when you see one of their images. You aren't laughing at them, rather, but with them–these lighthearted photos are meant to be hilarious. The unusual competition combines funny portraits of animals with technical proficiency to showcase works that'll have you admiring nature's beauty while smiling at its silliness.

The chosen photographs are delightful examples of animals acting in human-like ways. A gorilla picks its nose for the camera while a seal has a giant belly laugh. One tiny hippopotamus can't seem to escape the birds hanging on its back and dons a uproariously strange expression as it tries to run away. And like many of us, our confusion is also comical, as it is for a large deer who doesn't seem to understand the concept of camouflage.

Founder Paul Joynson-Hicks explains his inspiration for the event: “I often enter wildlife photography competitions but I love seeing the funny pictures. Strangely enough, they are harder to come by than you might think.” This is the first year of the Comedy Wildlife Awards, and it won't be the last. We're looking forward to laughing in the years to come. Scroll down to see the winners and some hilarious entries.

Above: Winner, Julian Rad


Silver Runner-up, Liam Richardson


Bronze Runner-up, Oliver Dreike


Alison Buttigieg


Charlie Davidson


Julie Hunt


Marc Mol


Mohammed Alnaser


Vuzuru Masuda


Graham McGeorge

Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards: Website | Facebook 
via [Photojojo]

Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes is a Staff Editor at My Modern Met, Manager of My Modern Met Store, and co-host of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. As an illustrator and writer living in Seattle, she chronicles illustration, embroidery, and beyond through her blog Brown Paper Bag and Instagram @brwnpaperbag. She wrote a book about embroidery artist Sarah K. Benning titled 'Embroidered Life' that was published by Chronicle Books in 2019. Sara is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art. She earned her BFA in Illustration in 2008 and MFA in Illustration Practice in 2013.
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