Smithsonian Magazine · People & society

Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards 2026 Finalists Announced

The Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards have revealed their 2026 finalists, showcasing over 10,000 entries from 112 countries. The shortlisted images and videos capture humorous animal moments, with winners to be announced on December 8.

The competition, which supports the Born Free Foundation, features 40 individual finalists, three under 16, four portfolio finalists, and nine video finalists. These will be exhibited from December 9-13 at Gallery@Oxo in London.

Co-founder Tom Sullam stated the awards use humor to foster empathy for wildlife, aiming for behavioral change. This year's chosen charity, the Born Free Foundation, works to protect wildlife and their habitats.

Notable entries include Heather Cudworth's "Lessons," showing an elephant giving a young one a dusty bath, and Phiané Oosthuizen's shot of a sunbird with a flower petal on its beak.

Other finalists feature a squirrel with a large mouthful of grass in "Little Godzilla" by Udo Harms, and Kevin Lohman's "Are You Kidding Me?" depicting a squirrel attacking an owl.

Images also include a strutting white-tailed eagle by Tapani Linnanmäki, three meerkats in a grooming pose by Subi Sridharan, and a disgruntled goldcrest in Jan Wittmer's "Angry Bird."

Eric Boren's "If I were just a little faster…" captures a polar bear near an ivory gull nest, while Deepak Jaybhaye's video shows a monkey trying to join two others. Alexander Hormann's "Sneeze" documents a moose's apparent sneeze.

AI-samenvatting op basis van de bron.