Nikon’s Funniest Wildlife Photos 2025: 16 Hilarious Winners From a Record 10,000 Entries

The Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards has revealed its 2025 selection of the year’s most laugh-out-loud wildlife photographs. From a tumbling gorilla to a grinning fish, judges chose 16 standout images from a record 10,000 entries submitted by photographers across 109 countries. The competition blends humour with conservation: the awards donate 10% of their revenue to the Whitley Fund for Nature.

Entries, Judging and Prizes

For the 2025 contest, a global panel evaluated submissions and named 10 highly commended images plus six category winners. Categories included Birds; Fish and Other Aquatic Animals; Reptiles, Amphibians and Insects (which also included the Nikon Junior winner); Nikon Young Photographer; and Portfolio. The overall champion — a playful gorilla image titled "High Five" — captured the judges' imagination for its energy and personality.

Highlighted Images

Highly Commended

"Smile, You're Being Photographed" — Valtteri Mulkahainen
Taken in Finland's Martinselkonen area, this image shows a one-year-old brown bear cub seeming to grin at the camera while the photographer was photographing bears. "When I was photographing bears, this one-year-old bear cub saw it and started smiling at me," Mulkahainen said.

"The Choir" — Meline Ellwanger
Ellwanger captured three lions yawning simultaneously — a perfectly timed, comical moment she called "a hilariously lucky moment."

"Landing Gear Down" — Erkko Badermann
A red-throated loon in Finland appears to belly-land with legs outstretched. Badermann joked the bird "uses the water as its runway."

"Monkey Circus" — Kalin Botev
In Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe, a troop of baboons at play produced a sequence of amusing poses, including a sitting individual repeatedly trying to catch passing youngsters.

"Bad Hair Day" — Christy Grinton
A grey squirrel in Beacon Hill Park, Victoria, B.C., relocated her young with a wet tail draped over her head, giving the impression of a comically spiky hairstyle.

"I Just Can't Wait To Be King" — Bret Saalwaechter
Lion cubs in Tanzania's Serengeti pester their mother on a classic kopje, alternating between play and attempts to nurse, producing an entertaining family scene.

"Fonzies Advertising" — Liliana Luca
A lemur in Madagascar licks its fingers with theatrical timing, reminding the photographer of an old snack commercial.

"Now Which Direction Is My Nest?" — Alison Tuck
On Bempton Cliffs (Yorkshire), a nesting gannet was momentarily obscured by grass blown into its face — a small but charming misadventure.

"Go Away" — Annette Kirby
A Steller's sea eagle in Hokkaido, Japan, delivers a steely look while guarding a freshly caught fish from other birds.

"Aaaaawa Mum" — Mark Meth Cohn
A baby gorilla in the Virunga Mountains, Rwanda, appears shy or embarrassed by its mother — a tender, humanizing moment.

Category Winners

Birds — "Headlock" by Warren Price
Two territorial guillemots squabble on a cramped rocky ledge; one bird stares straight at the lens as if caught mid-drama.

Fish & Other Aquatic Animals — "Smiley" by Jenny Stock
While diving in the Philippines, Stock photographed a bluestriped fangblenny peeking from coral with an almost cheeky expression.

Reptile, Amphibian & Insect + Nikon Junior — "Baptism of the Unwilling Convert" by Grayson Bell
Thirteen-year-old Bell captured male frogs in a Maine pond in a frame that humorously resembles one frog trying to "baptize" another.

Nikon Young Photographer — "Hit the Dance Floor" by Paula Rustemeier
Rustemeier documented playful foxes at a Dutch nature reserve over several months, highlighting their lively social behaviour.

Portfolio — "Digging for Gold" by Maggie Hoffman
A portrait series from Gombe National Park, Tanzania, includes charming candid moments such as a female chimpanzee picking her nose, shown as part of a multi-shot study.

Overall Winner

"High Five" — Mark Meth Cohn
The competition's top prize went to Cohn for a photograph of a young male gorilla from the Amahoro family in Rwanda's Virunga Mountains. The image captures the youngster mid-performance — pirouetting, tumbling and high-kicking — and was praised for its joyful energy and sense of play.

The Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards aims to celebrate wildlife, bring smiles, and support conservation—using humour to engage new audiences and direct funds toward protecting species and habitats.