Comedy Wildlife Awards 2025 winners announced — here are the hilarious winning photos
  • The winners of the Comedy Wildlife Awards 2025 have been announced
  • 44 images were shortlisted from over 10,000 entries from 109 countries
  • Mark Meth-Cohn from the UK wins the top prize with his image of a gorilla

The winners of the Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards 2025 have been unveiled, with 44 shortlisted images selected from over 10,000 entries – a record high for the contest. And it's Mark Meth-Cohn from the UK who emerges as the winner with 'High Five' – an image of a playful young gorilla in Rwanda.

“We spent four unforgettable days trekking through the misty Virunga Mountains in search of the gorilla families that call them home", says Mark.

"On this particular day, we came across a large family group known as the Amahoro family, they were gathered in a forest clearing where the adults were calmly foraging while the youngsters were enthusiastically playing. One young male was especially keen to show off his acrobatic flair: pirouetting, tumbling, and high kicking. Watching his performance was pure joy, and I’m thrilled to have captured his playful spirit in this image.”

Watching his performance was pure joy, and I’m thrilled to have captured his playful spirit in this image.

Mark Meth-Cohn

Mark took the winning photo, above, with a Sony A1 and FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM – a classic Sony lens – set to 1/800 sec, f/3.5, and ISO 200, and wins a dream one-week safari trip to the Maasai Mara. Winners of other categories, including the Nikon Junior Category (25 and under), take home various Nikon mirrorless camera gear, including a Z6 III, Z50 II, and Zr.

What I personally appreciate about the Comedy Wildlife Awards is how open a competition it is – there are winners at different stages of their photography journey, and from all walks of life – winner Mark describes himself as a keen amateur.

The contest rewards technical excellence like any other, but it majors on the fun. And with that in mind, let's take a look at some of the shortlisted entries.

Comedy Wildlife Awards 2025 finalists

There were 44 entries that made the shortlist, including videos. Below is a selection of my absolute faves, including 'Flamingone', a completely real image that fooled judges and won the 'AI' category in the 1839 photo contest last year.

Image 1 of 15

A young Gorilla showing off his acrobatic abilities.
'High Five' (Image credit: © Mark Meth-Cohn / Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards)

Image 2 of 15

Our jungle photoshoot turned Titanic real quick. This fabulous female orangutan found her stage, caught the perfect light, and struck a pose like she’d been waiting her whole life for this moment.
'Paint Me Like One Of Your Forest Girls' (Image credit: © Michael Stavrakakis / Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards)

Image 3 of 15

A troop of baboons playing in a tree in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe with pink skies
'Monkey Circus' (Image credit: © Kalin Botev / Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards)

Image 4 of 15

Bird with grass in its face on a windy day on Bempton Cliffs during the nesting season.
'Now, which direction is my nest' (Image credit: © Alison Tuck / Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards)

Image 5 of 15

A mother Grey Squirrel was moving her babies to a new nest. The grass she was running in was wet from the nights rain. After she moved her last baby into the nest, she popped her head out while her tail was still sticking out. It looked like she had just come out of the shower and ran to answer the door.
'Bad Hair Day' (Image credit: © Christy Grinton / Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards)

Image 6 of 15

A porcupine fish that has a mouthful of algae and seems to have trouble closing his mouth.
'What do you mean I need to see a dentist' (Image credit: © Bingqian Gao / Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards)

Image 7 of 15

A hilariously lucky moment I caught of these these three lions yawning at the same time.
'The Choir' (Image credit: © Meline Ellwanger / Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards)

Image 8 of 15

A duck bathing
'It's tough being a duck' (Image credit: © John Speirs / Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards)

Image 9 of 15

A flamingo whose head is apparently missing, but I promise it’s there somewhere. In fact, the bird is just going about its morning routine at a Caribbean beach, head tucked beneath the torso to give the plumage a good cleaning.
'Flamingone' (Image credit: © Miles Astray / Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards)

Image 10 of 15

Frog lazing around guarding a grape vine, waiting for a kiss, but I think he's just here for the grapes. This charming amphibian seems to have mistaken the vine for his royal court, lounging among the plump fruit as if he's the monarch of the orchard.
'The Frog Prince of the Grape Vine' (Image credit: © Beate Ammer / Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards)

Image 11 of 15

Red-throated Loon landing like a Floatplane
'Landing gears down' (Image credit: © Erkko Badermann / Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards)

Image 12 of 15

This flying squirrel looks like it’s throwing in the towel mid-air—arms wide, total surrender!
'Squirrel airborne surrender mode' (Image credit: © Stefan Cruysberghs / Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards)

Image 13 of 15

Two Bridled Guillemots in the midst of a domestic dispute. The island of Hornøya is always a hectic mix of chaos and noise, squabbling seabirds vying for space and nesting sites.
'Headlock' (Image credit: © Warren Price / Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards)

Image 14 of 15

Yellow-cheeked Gibbon hanging out in the trees. Looks like he's waiting for a beer to be served.
'Relaxing in the trees' (Image credit: © Diana Rebman / Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards)

Image 15 of 15

Black woodpecker in flight, just as it tucked its wings under its body, creating the perfect illusion of sheer speed.
'Relaxing in the trees' (Image credit: © Magnus Berggren / Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards)

The judges have already declared their favorites, but there's one more category yet to be decided – the People's Choice Award. Voting is open from December 10, when the public gets to choose their favorite finalists from 2025.

Votes can be cast at www.comedywildlifephoto.com until March 1, 2026, and the winner of this remaining award will be announced on March 14. I know which one I'm voting for!

Which is your favorite and why? Let me know in the comments below.

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Source: TechRadar