50 Of The Most Incredible Shots That Were Submitted To The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

Michelle Wood, a member of the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards team, was very enthusiastic about what this year has in store for the competition.

"2024 is going to be bigger and better than ever! It is our 10th year of the Awards and we have some exciting events coming up," she was happy to share with Bored Panda.

"We can't say too much at the moment but we will reveal all when we launch the competition at the Photography Show in Birmingham, UK in March later this year." 

We were curious about the qualities and skills that are essential for wildlife photographers. Wood explained that there are "no quick wins to this comedy photography lark," however, a love of wildlife is absolutely crucial.

"It may take hours of waiting and studying your subject before you get to snap a funny shot. Understanding and observing their natural behaviors without disturbing their routines is really important. This can only help you achieve a great shot and is only possible if you absolutely love spending a lot of time amongst the wildlife," she told Bored Panda.

"Other skills, like preparation—making sure your camera/phone is on the right setting—patience and practice are all really helpful too. But at the end of the day, you need a large dollop of luck to be in the right place at the right time."

Meanwhile, Wood told us what everyone who hopes to enter the competition in 2024 can do to prepare before spring arrives. "It would be a good idea to check their hard drives for any images that might have been forgotten from previous trips or sessions that could be entered when we open," she advised.

"And just get out there and enjoy some wildlife with your camera. Keep an eye on the website and our socials so you know exactly when we open, too!"

After a very successful last year, the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards will once again be open to entrants in 2024. Photographers—amateur and veteran alike—should keep an eye out for when the competition opens to new entries in March of this year. “Keep those funny pics safe until then!” the team behind the project urges.

The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards was first started way back in 2015 by professional photographers and conservationists Paul Joynson-Hicks and Tom Sullam. Their goal was to create a fun, refreshing, and free-to-enter competition that would celebrate the planet’s wildlife and humor.

During an earlier interview with Bored Panda, project co-founder Sullam explained that timing is the essence of photography. “The single best tip to get that decisive moment is to watch your subject and see how it moves, where it turns its head, how it flicks its tail, how its back, legs, neck move, and so on,” the professional photographer told us.

“Learn to see these movements—in this way, you can pre-empt the behavior. You cannot predict behavior, but you can pre-empt a movement and be ready to fire that shutter! Obviously, the right settings on your camera goes without saying!” Sullam shared with us at the tail end of last year’s competition.

Something to keep in mind if you’re planning on entering this year is to have a thorough read through the contest’s rules. One condition, in particular, is very important for Digital Age photographers. Namely, that all images entered in the contest also have to be submitted as a raw file. That way, the team can check the quality of the photo.

“We also ask for the surrounding shots of the image to make sure that the entry is authentic,” Wood from the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards team told Bored Panda.

Though you can make simple digital corrections to your photo, like adjusting the tone and contrast, cropping, sharpening, reducing noise, etc., you are not allowed to alter the integrity of the image itself. “If you reach the finals, we will ask for the original image, and we have the finest team of digital detectives on the planet to make sure every image is verified. These guys are serious pixel Sherlocks, so pay attention, no cheating!” The team is very big on transparency and honesty. It expects the same of all entrants!

A whopping 1,842 people with 5,300 entries from 85 countries around the globe took part in the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards in 2023. The overall winner that year was Jason Moore with his iconic photo ‘Air Guitar Roo.’ The image of the female Western Grey Kangaroo was captured in the outer suburbs of Perth, Australia. Moore won a safari in the Masai Mara, Kenya, with Alex Walker’s Serian. He was also presented with a unique handmade trophy from the Wonder Workshop in Tanzania and a photography bag from THINK TANK.

“I had been out with my camera photographing some waterfowl at a nearby lake. I had been up at sunrise to take advantage of the ‘golden hour’ light, but it turned out to be a disappointing morning on the water,” Moore shared some background about his winning photo, which was originally taken back in August 2021.

“After leaving the lake, somewhat dejected, I decided to swing past an area of open bushland that I know of because there is often a ‘mob’ of Kangaroos feeding and sunning themselves in a field close to the road (it’s on my way to and from work, so I drive past it every day),” he told the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards team.

“When I arrived, there were a number of Kangaroos in the field. The morning light was still favorable, so I grabbed my camera and headed off to a spot where I could get down to eye level with my subjects, amongst the biting ticks (the lengths we go to just to get that perfect image). I ended up shooting about 40 or 50 frames of the Kangaroos with various content including Mums, Joeys, and also some action shots of them bouncing along through the yellow field,” the photographer said.

“The shoot turned out to be a great session, and I am quite fond of several images that I captured. Not many people know that Kangaroos are normally fairly docile and even a bit boring most of the time if I’m honest. However, when I saw this Roo striking the air guitar pose, it immediately brought a smile to my face, and I knew that I had captured something really special.”

Moore wasn’t the only winner in 2023. There were also six category winners, including young photographer Jacek Stankiewicz, whose photo ‘Dispute,’ of two greenfinches, saw him nab a double victory in both the Junior Category and the People’s Choice Award. The other category victors were Vittorio Ricci (Air Award), Otter Kwek (Underwater Category), Timea Ambrus (Portfolio Award), and Lily Bernau (Video Award).

Ten other entrants were highly commended by the judges: Tzahi Finkelstein, John Blumenkamp, Zoe Ashdown, Brian Matthews, Lara Matthews, Delphine Casimir, Pratick Mondal, Wendy Kaveney, Jacques Poulard, and Dakota Vaccaro.

“One of the greatest pleasures we experience in this competition is seeing the incredible standard of photography, combined with humor, which consistently increases each year. This year’s People’s Choice Award winner is like the cherry on the cake. To have a junior entrant win this major prize is extremely rewarding for us,” Sullam, the co-founder of the contest, shared.

“We want more juniors to enter. We want to take our conservation message and our love of photography to the younger generation, and this result proves that young photographers have as much chance of winning as anybody else.”

Which photos did you like the most and why, dear Pandas? Do you plan on taking part in this year's competition? What's your relationship with photography, wildlife, and nature? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments! We'd love to hear from you.