It can take hours – and sometimes several days – in the wilderness to shoot the kinds of photographs that capture our imagination and reveal lesser-known facets of the lives of animals with whom we share our planet.
So I can't help but think of the thrill these photographers must feel when they snap these once-in-a-lifetime moments that are good for a giggle or three. I'm talking, of course, about the winners of the Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards for 2024.
First prize goes to Italian photographer Milko Marchetti, whose image of a squirrel seemingly getting stuck in a tree trunk with its legs sticking out feels like a Looney Tunes cartoon scene brought to life. Recalling how he got the shot back in April 2022, Marchetti explained:
"The photo was taken in the 'Podere Pantaleone' park in Bagnacavallo, Ravenna, Italy. It is a park open to the public and schools, but from October to March, it is closed to visitors, and I am allowed (in exchange for photographs for educational and promotional purposes) to use a fixed photographic hide to photograph passerines, woodpeckers, hawks, and even 3-4 squirrels that come to visit the photographic set consisting of a small lake, and the surrounding vegetation.
"A few meters from the hide, the squirrels sometimes come out of curiosity to check out an old woodpecker's nest in the old hollow tree. The shot I chose to participate in the Nikon Comedy Wildlife immediately struck me for the strange position assumed by the squirrel that seems to be stuck halfway in the hole in the tree, but in reality it is the moment in which it is detaching the support on its hind legs and enters the hole. This photo had an effect on me and made me smile a lot in that moment that I clicked the button. I knew I had to enter it into the competition.”
Marchetti has been shooting wildlife and landscapes for decades now, and has several other trophies on his mantle already. His entry beat out more than 9,000 photographs in this year's competition – the highest number ever submitted in the decade-long history of the Comedy Wildlife Awards. It's also earned him a safari in Kenya's Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya, with hospitality by Alex Walker’s Serian.
This year's competition wasn't all fun and games. The other entries were excellent too, and I imagine the judges must have had a hard time choosing their favorites.
I especially love this one below by British photographer Ralph Robinson. These Southern rockhopper penguins, found in the Falkland Islands and returning from a meal in the southern Atlantic Ocean, look like they're about to drop the hardest album of the year.
There's also this stunning hippopotamus – photographed by Artur Stankiewicz in Mana Pools, Zimbabwe – with natural headgear that he's pulling off with all the swagger of Gloria from Madagascar.
Clearly, squirrels stole the show this year. Takashi Kubo got a great shot of a flying squirrel in Hokkaido, Japan, who looks every bit like a mob boss sucking down a cigar.
Click through to our gallery to see more category winners and highly commended entries. You can also find Marchetti's work on his website and Instagram profile. And if this year's competition doesn't satisfy your chuckle bone, check out our previous finalist galleries from 2023, 2022, 2021 and 2020.
