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Nature's Funniest Moments
The 2025 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards
Animals being absolutely ridiculous, caught on camera.
By The Numbers
10+
Years Running
Proving animals are funnier than people since 2015.
80+
Countries
Photographers submit from every continent except Antarctica. The penguins submit themselves.
~9,000
Entries Per Year
Nine thousand people waiting in the wild for animals to do something stupid.
7
Categories
Land, sea, air, junior, portfolio, video, and the coveted People's Choice.
The Best of 2025
Ten photos that prove animals are funnier than any human could ever be.
The Five-Minute Set
Overall WinnerA king penguin standing alone on a rock, beak open, flippers spread wide, looking for all the world like a comedian delivering a punchline to an invisible audience. The surrounding penguins appear to be either heckling or walking out.
Why it's funny: The timing is immaculate. This penguin has the energy of a stand-up comic who just said something controversial and is waiting for the laugh. The two penguins waddling away in the background are the audience members who didn't find it funny.
Absolutely Not.
Creatures of the AirA great horned owl perched on a branch, head slightly tilted, eyes narrowed to slits, radiating an energy that can only be described as profound, withering judgment. It looks like a school principal who just caught you lying.
Why it's funny: This owl has seen what you did. It knows about the thing you thought nobody noticed. Every person who has ever been silently judged by a parent, teacher, or cat recognizes this expression instantly.
Action Hero
Creatures of the LandA red squirrel frozen mid-leap between two branches, body fully extended, limbs splayed, tail streaming behind it like a cape. The squirrel's face is a mask of pure, unhinged determination.
Why it's funny: This is not a squirrel. This is a tiny action hero performing an impossible stunt. The expression says 'I have calculated this jump perfectly' while the body position says 'I have not calculated this jump at all.'
Best Day Ever
Under the SeaA harbor seal lying on its back on a sandbar, mouth open in what is unmistakably a full-body laugh. Eyes squeezed shut. Whiskers vibrating with joy. This seal has just heard the funniest thing ever said in the ocean.
Why it's funny: You cannot look at this photo and not smile. The seal is laughing with its entire body. Scientists will tell you it's just thermoregulation. Scientists are wrong. This seal is having the time of its life.
The Perfect Backscratch
Creatures of the LandA full-grown brown bear with its back pressed against a pine tree, head tilted back, eyes half-closed in ecstasy, one paw raised in the air. The bear has found the perfect scratching tree and has entered a state of transcendence.
Why it's funny: This bear weighs 600 pounds and could end you without trying. Right now it looks like your uncle after Thanksgiving dinner finding the one good spot on the recliner. The raised paw is chef's kiss.
Monday Morning
Creatures of the LandA proboscis monkey sitting on a branch, its enormous nose drooping, eyes half-lidded with existential exhaustion, staring directly into the camera with an expression of deep, resigned acceptance.
Why it's funny: This monkey is all of us at 6:47 AM when the alarm goes off. The nose somehow makes it more relatable, not less. This is the face of a creature that has seen its schedule for the week and made peace with it.
Photobomb
Creatures of the AirA puffin in the foreground posed elegantly with a beak full of fish. In the background, another puffin has entered the frame at high speed, wings at an absurd angle, mouth open, looking like it was launched from a cannon.
Why it's funny: There are two types of people: the one who poses for the camera, and the one who ruins every group photo. The background puffin is chaos incarnate. The foreground puffin's perfect composure makes it ten times funnier.
Excuse Me Sir
Under the SeaA sea otter floating on its back, one paw raised as if politely trying to get a waiter's attention. Its face wears an expression of mild but growing impatience, like someone who's been waiting for the check for twenty minutes.
Why it's funny: The politeness is what kills it. This otter isn't angry. It's not making a scene. It's just gently, persistently, trying to flag someone down. We've all been this otter at a restaurant.
First Solo Flight
Junior Category WinnerA juvenile barn owl caught mid-takeoff from a fence post, wings not quite coordinated, legs dangling at different angles, face frozen in what can only be described as wide-eyed panic. This owl is not ready.
Why it's funny: Every first attempt at anything looks exactly like this. The owl's expression is a perfect mix of 'I can do this' and 'I absolutely cannot do this.' The dangling legs seal the deal.
Dramatic Entrance
People's ChoiceA snow monkey bursting out of a hot spring, arms raised above its head, water cascading off its fur, mouth open in what looks like a triumphant battle cry. Behind it, another macaque watches with complete indifference.
Why it's funny: Main character energy at its absolute peak. This monkey is having a cinematic moment. The monkey in the background who could not possibly care less is the real star of the photo.
Why These Awards Matter
Conservation Through Comedy
The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards aren't just about laughing at animals. They're a partnership with the Born Free Foundation, one of the world's leading wildlife conservation organizations. Every entry, every share, every laugh drives attention and funding toward protecting the animals that make these moments possible.
Making People Care
Nobody reads a 40-page conservation report and changes their behavior. But show someone a photo of a bear having a transcendent backscratch experience and suddenly they care about habitat preservation. Humor is the most effective conservation tool ever invented. You protect what you love, and you love what makes you laugh.
A Global Community
Over 80 countries participate. Professional wildlife photographers and amateurs with a smartphone compete side by side. The only requirement is that the photo is genuine, the animal is wild, and the moment is real. No staging, no Photoshop, no captive animals. Just nature being absurd all on its own.
Glen's Take
Animals don't know they're being photographed. That's the whole thing. That's the entire secret. A penguin isn't “doing stand-up” — it's just standing there. An owl isn't “judging you” — that's just its face. A squirrel isn't an action hero — it's trying not to die.
We project our entire human experience onto these animals, and it works every single time because the best comedy is unintentional. No animal has ever tried to be funny. They're just living their lives, and we happen to find it hilarious.
The funniest comedian on Earth is a seal that doesn't know it's being watched. And that's beautiful.
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Gear Up for Wildlife Comedy
Everything you need to capture the next award-winning animal moment.
Wildlife Photography Books
Coffee table books featuring the funniest animal photos ever captured.
Find on AmazonCamera Equipment
Telephoto lenses and cameras for capturing your own wildlife comedy gold.
Find on AmazonFunny Animal Calendars
A full year of animals making questionable life decisions.
Find on AmazonFrequently Asked Questions
How do you enter the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards?
Entries open annually (usually around spring) at comedywildlifephoto.com. Submissions are free. You need a genuinely funny photo of a wild animal in its natural habitat. No pets, no captive animals, no staged shots. The comedy has to be real and the animal has to be wild. A panel of judges plus public voting determines the winners across multiple categories.
Who won the 2025 Comedy Wildlife Award?
The 2025 Overall Winner was a king penguin photographed on South Georgia Island, standing alone on a rock with flippers spread wide, looking exactly like a stand-up comedian delivering a punchline. The image, captured by Klaus Dietermann, beat out nearly 9,000 entries from over 80 countries. Category winners included entries featuring owls, squirrels, seals, puffins, and snow monkeys.
Are the Comedy Wildlife photos real or edited?
All entries must be genuine, unmanipulated photographs of wild animals in natural habitats. Basic processing (exposure, contrast, cropping) is allowed, but compositing, adding or removing elements, or staging scenes with captive animals is strictly prohibited. The comedy has to come from the animal, not Photoshop. Judges verify authenticity and can disqualify manipulated images. That's what makes these photos extraordinary — every single one is a real moment that actually happened.
Know someone who needs to see a bear having a transcendent backscratch?
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