Hilarious Early Entries From the 2016 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

Once a year, the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards celebrate the amazing diversity—and the overwhelming silliness—of the animal kingdom.

As a comical copycat of the animal-themed photography contests historically held by institutions like the National Geographic and London’s Natural History Museum, this quirky competition showcases the not-so-serious side of nature. From an adorable, corn-on-the-cob-loving chipmunk to an entirely relatable meerkat mid-facepalm, there is no shortage of laughable and lovable animals in this year’s collection of submissions.

While the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards is an undeniably down-to-earth competition, there are, of course, some ground rules: contestants can submit no more than six images and two videos, and each entry must fall under one of six categories—Nikon Creatures of the Land, Kenya Airways Creatures in the Air, One Vision Imaging Junior, Amazing Internet Portfolio, Underwater, and Alex Walker Serian’s Video Clips.

As if ample (and adorable) comedic relief wasn’t enough of an incentive to join in on the fun, the competition also works tirelessly to promote conservation, an increasingly important cause. Working together with the Born Free Foundation, an animal welfare charity that aims to “keep wildlife in the wild,” the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards call attention to the importance of preserving and protecting our planet—one hilarious photo at a time.

Take the bull by the horns and submit your own silly snapshots on the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards’ submission page by October 1, when the cute and cuddly competition comes to an end.

Above photo credit: Bob D'Arpino/Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards