A leopard doing a handstand, a caiman wearing what looks like a wig and a polar bear seemingly having a chat with a seagull are among the hilarious finalists in the 2026 Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards.
The finalists have just been announced after a record 10,000-plus entries from 112 countries, proving once again that wildlife doesn’t always need to try very hard to make us laugh.
From that enormous field, 40 individual finalists, three under-16 finalists, four portfolio finalists and nine video finalists have made the cut.
And they’re a wonderfully chaotic bunch.
The funniest wildlife moments of 2026
Alongside the handstanding leopard and chatty polar bear is a white-tailed eagle that appears to be strutting down a catwalk.
Then there’s the caiman sporting what looks like a rather fetching wig.
The finalists also include videos and portfolios, while young photographers feature among those capturing some of the year’s most memorable wildlife moments.
But behind the funny photographs is a serious conservation message.
Using humour to help wildlife
The competition was founded in 2015 by professional photographers Paul Joynson-Hicks MBE and Tom Sullam.
While the awards celebrate the lighter side of wildlife photography, their mission is also to encourage people to care about conservation.
Tom says: “The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards started very gently, somewhere out on the vast plains of the Serengeti. What began as a small effort to raise awareness of wildlife conservation has grown into something far bigger than we ever imagined. The competition is now truly global, and a decade or so on, we want to make it even bigger, funnier, and more far-reaching than ever. We use humour to get people to feel empathy towards wildlife, and it’s that empathy that creates behavioural change for the better.”
Comedy Wildlife supports Born Free Foundation
This year’s competition is supporting the Born Free Foundation, an international conservation charity that works to rescue and protect wild animals and conserve threatened species and their natural habitats.
In 2026, Comedy Wildlife is donating 10% of its profits to the organisation.
You can vote for your favourite
Wildlife fans don’t have to leave all the judging to the professionals.
The People’s Choice Award, sponsored by STERNA, opens to the public today, 2 October 2026, and voting will continue until 1 March 2027.
One voter will also be selected at random to win £500.
The overall winner, category winners and Highly Commended winners will be revealed at an awards night in London on 8 December.
You can see all the finalists and cast your vote on the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards website.
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