A gorilla caught mid-dance has brought laughter, joy and a burst of pure delight to the Nikon Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards 2025.
British photographer Mark Meth-Cohn was named the overall winner of this year’s competition for his image High Five, a perfectly timed photograph of a young gorilla dancing through a forest clearing in Rwanda. The image stood out among a record-breaking 10,000 entries from 109 countries — the highest number in the awards’ 11-year history.
Taken earlier this year, High Five captures a moment of unmistakable exuberance. The gorilla appears to fling its limbs into the air, frozen in a joyful burst of movement. The photograph not only secured Meth-Cohn the top prize but also earned him the Mammals Category Award, emerging as a clear favorite among the judging panel.
The image was captured during a trek through Rwanda’s Virunga Mountains, where Meth-Cohn spent days searching for gorilla families in their natural habitat.
“We spent four unforgettable days trekking through the misty Virunga Mountains in search of the gorilla families that call them home,” Meth-Cohn said.
On one particular day, the scene unfolded effortlessly.
“We came across a large family group known as the Amahoro family,” he said. “They were gathered in a forest clearing where the adults were calmly foraging while the youngsters were enthusiastically playing.”
One young gorilla quickly became the star.
“One young male was especially keen to show off his acrobatic flair — pirouetting, tumbling and high-kicking,” Meth-Cohn added. “Watching his performance was pure joy, and I’m thrilled to have captured his playful spirit in this image.”
For Meth-Cohn, the win marks a significant personal milestone. He was also a finalist in last year’s awards and described learning he had taken the top prize as deeply rewarding.
“Doing well in any competition shows that the images you are producing are working,” he said. “The Nikon Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards are one of the major competitions of the year — easy to enter and fun, but with a seriously committed underlying ethos. After reaching the finals last year, I’m absolutely delighted to have gone one step further and win the competition this year.”
As the overall winner, Meth-Cohn receives a safari in Kenya’s Maasai Mara, courtesy of Alex Walker’s Serian. He also takes home a handmade trophy from the Wonder Workshop in Tanzania and a photography bag from Think Tank.
Nikon Europe also celebrated the winning image and the spirit behind the awards. Stefan Maier, senior general manager of marketing at Nikon Europe, praised the creativity on display.
“We are thrilled to celebrate the incredible talent and creativity showcased in this year’s Nikon Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards,” Maier said. “All of our category winners use joy, skill and imagination to capture the natural world, and Mark’s winning image perfectly represents the playful spirit of wildlife.”
He added: “At Nikon, we are incredibly proud to support these visual storytellers and provide them with the tools to share their unique perspectives, inspiring audiences everywhere to connect with and care for our planet’s remarkable wildlife.”
Alongside the overall winner, photographers from around the world were recognized across a wide range of categories. Grayson Bell of the United States won both the Nikon Junior Photographer Award and the Reptile, Amphibian and Insect Category for his image Baptism of an Unwilling Convert, a close-up photograph of two frogs wrestling in water.
Paula Rustemeier of Germany received the Nikon Young Category Award for Hit the Dance Floor, while Tatjana Epp, also of Germany, won the Nikon Video Category for her clip of a surfing heron.
Surfing heron. (Courtesy of Tatjana Epp/Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards 2025)
Additional category winners included Warren Price, Jenny Stock and Maggie Hoffman, with 10 more photographers named highly commended.
The winners were announced Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025, at an awards ceremony in London. A free public exhibition followed at Gallery@Oxo from Dec. 10 to 14, showcasing all 2025 finalists. The exhibition was curated with sustainability in mind, with all images printed on bamboo-based paper.
Voting for the Sterna People’s Choice Award opens Dec. 10 and runs through March 1, 2026, giving the public a chance to choose its favorite finalist.
With a single joyful leap captured at just the right moment, Meth-Cohn’s dancing gorilla perfectly embodies the spirit of the Nikon Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards — celebrating the humor, energy and unexpected magic of the natural world.
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