A caiman re-emerges from the waters of the Pantanal, in Brazil, in a stretch covered in floating vegetation, with a part remaining on its head and drawing a fifties rocker’s quiff. For the shot in question, the Italian photographer Paolo Torre chose, Elvisand entered the shortlist of finalists for the Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards 2026, the competition that has used laughter as a key to talking about the protection of wildlife for twelve editions.
A record edition
This year, organizers received more than 10,000 entries from 112 countries, the highest number in the competition’s history. There are 56 finalists, i.e. 40 single images, three shots from the category reserved for under 16s, four portfolios and nine videos. The competition was born in 2015 from an idea of two professional photographers, Paul Joynson-Hicks MBE and Tom Sullam. It was supposed to be a small awareness experiment and it became a global prize. Now the declared goal is to make it grow even more, more fun and capable of reaching further. The mechanism, according to the co-founder, is simple: humor gives rise to empathy towards animals, and it is empathy that changes behaviour.
Severe elephants, bears in the gym and a moose with a cold
Among the selected images is Lessons by Heather Cudworth, taken in Amboseli National Park, Kenya, during a four-year drought. An adult elephant gives her calf a dust bath, a practice that protects the skin from the sun. Only the dust gets right in his face. Hygiene lesson or invitation to keep your mouth shut? The photographer admits she doesn’t know.
In Lake Clark, Alaska, Scott Suriano surprised a brown bear in the middle of what looked like a sit-up session. The title, Morning Calisthenicsneeds no further comment. In the caption the photographer talks about the “Russian twist”, the exercise that rotates the torso while sitting, and observes that a beach body is not received as a gift, it must be earned.
The under 16 category brings South African Phiané Oosthuizen to the final with Playing Dress-Up. In the Kirstenbosch botanical garden in Cape Town, a nectarine had stuck its beak into a flower to reach the nectar. When it was time to retract it, she took the petal away, which for an instant gave her an enormous, false beak.
Eric Boren’s scene in Svalbard is more melancholic, If I were just a little faster…. A polar bear got too close to the ebony gulls’ nests and the birds targeted it. Eventually the bear lies down and one of the seagulls lands next to him. The two seem to study each other, perhaps with mutual distrust.
In Alexander Hormann’s portfolio the story develops in four stages. A moose, having just emerged from Maligne Lake in Alberta, Canada, first appears to have a runny nose, then sneezes, and finally appears to smile with satisfaction. The photographer only noticed the sequence in front of the computer. The result was a small comic strip with a tragic beginning and a happy ending.
Awards, jury and the cause to support
Whoever wins the overall title wins a safari in the Masai Mara reserve, in Kenya, with Alex Walker’s Serian. Also up for grabs are Nikon cameras (Z6III, Z50II and the recent ZR), main partner gear and ThinkTANK camera backpacks.
Categories cover mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, aquatic species, insects, young photographers up to 25, juniors up to 16, portfolio and video. Each year the competition supports a conservation organization. For 2026 the choice fell on the Born Free Foundation, an international body that saves wild animals from exploitation and protects threatened species and their habitats. The award website dedicates a special page to collaboration.
Winners in December, the public votes until March
The jury will examine the works in the coming weeks. The overall winner, category winners and honorable mentions will be announced on Tuesday 8 December at an awards evening in London. From 9 to 13 December all the finalist images will be exhibited, with free entry, at Gallery@Oxo, on the south bank of the Thames.
Then there is the public award, the People’s Choice Award sponsored by Sterna. Voting is open from 2 October to 1 March 2027 on the official website, and one lucky person will be drawn from among those who vote and receive 500 pounds.
The latest curiosity comes from Finland with Tapani Linnanmäk, who has been photographing sea eagles on the western coast of the country for four years. His Fashion fades. Feather coats are forever it portrays a specimen strutting forward as if on the catwalk. The photographer suspects that it is the same animal that already appeared in the 2024 edition with Shake, Ruffle, Rattle and Roll. If so, he would be an eagle on his second candidacy, without ever having signed a release.
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For the complete gallery and the details of the competition we refer you to the official website of the event comedywildlifephoto.com.
