Wildlife photography isn't always about majestic lion roars and serene sunset silhouettes. Sometimes, it is about capturing animals making absolute fools of themselves! The Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards celebrate the hilarity of the natural world, and the public has officially cast their votes for the funniest photo of the year.
The winner of the Sterna People’s Choice Award is UK photographer Alison Tuck with her brilliantly timed photo titled, "Now which direction is my nest?" (or "Now where is my nest?"). Captured on a breezy day at the Bempton Cliffs in Yorkshire, the photo features a rather confused gannet battling a massive face-full of grass while trying to build a home.
"Winning the Sterna People’s Choice Award means a lot to me," Alison shared. Along with the ultimate bragging rights, she took home a brand new camera bag from ThinkTANK and a beautiful, large-format fine art print of her grassy gannet courtesy of category sponsor STERNA.
But Alison's gannet was up against 40 other incredibly goofy shortlisted finalists. Here are just a few of the absolute most hilarious runner-ups that you simply cannot miss:
"Flamingone" by Miles Astray: Captured in Aruba, this photo shows a seemingly headless flamingo. In reality, the bird was just awkwardly tucking its head beneath its torso to scratch its belly. The photographer actually entered this real photo into an AI-generated art contest and won two awards just to prove that "Mother Nature and her human interpreters can still beat the machine"!
"Baptism Of The Unwilling Convert" by Grayson Bell: In a pond in Maine, two male green frogs got into a fierce territorial wrestling match. However, the angle of the photograph makes it look less like a battle and much more like one frog is trying to forcefully baptize the other against his will.
"What do you mean I need to see a dentist?" by Bingqian Gao: While swimming in the Sea of Cortez in Mexico, the photographer spotted a porcupine fish with a comical look of perpetual shock. On closer inspection, the fish was entirely unable to close its mouth, and a thick layer of green algae had actually started growing on its "teeth"!
"Headlock" by Warren Price: Because bridled guillemots in Norway cram their nests incredibly close together on rocky cliff edges, they are constantly bickering over space. This photographer managed to snap a picture of a fiercely territorial guillemot literally clamping its neighbor's head entirely inside its beak.
If you have a knack for capturing animals at their most awkward, you are in luck. The 2026 Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards are currently open for both photo and video entries until June 30th. It is completely free to enter, and the overall winner will score an incredible week-long safari in the Masai Mara!
Best of all, having a laugh helps save the planet. In 2026, the competition is donating 10% of its profits to the Born Free Foundation, an international charity dedicated to protecting wild animals and conserving their natural habitats for generations to come.
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