The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards opened submissions for its 2026 competition, inviting photographers worldwide to capture nature’s most hilarious moments while promoting wildlife conservation through humor, laughter, and genuine appreciation for the animals sharing our planet.
Founded in 2015 by wildlife photographers Paul Joynson-Hicks MBE, Tom Sullam, and Michelle Wood, the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards combines entertainment with environmental advocacy. The competition receives tens of thousands of entries annually from photographers across more than 100 countries, showcasing animals in perfectly-timed, laugh-inducing scenarios that demonstrate wildlife’s relatability and charm.
“We wanted to use a positive force to influence human behavior,” Sullam explained during a TED Talk last February about the competition. “We wanted to use humor to address the serious topic of conservation, and in so doing, encourage people to look up and appreciate what they get from wildlife. Too many messages are negative about conservation. We wanted to do it the other way.”
Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards co-founder Paul Sullam took the competition’s conservation message to the TED stage in February 2026, arguing that humor is one of the most underused tools in wildlife advocacy and that making people laugh is a powerful way to make them care. Photo courtesy of Nikon Comedy Wildlife.
The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards accepts entries free of charge through June 30, 2026, welcoming submissions from professional photographers and enthusiastic beginners regardless of camera brand or equipment used. Participants may submit up to 10 still images across various categories, plus two videos, with finalists announced in October and winners revealed at the December 2026 awards ceremony.
Competition categories include Alex Walker’s Serian Mammals Category for funny mammal moments, birds category, underwater wildlife, portfolio entries requiring four connected images, junior categories for photographers 16 years and younger, and video submissions. The Amazing Internet Portfolio category challenges entrants to submit four images that tell a cohesive, funny story or showcase a themed collection.
The competition prioritizes authenticity above all else. All submitted photographs must capture genuine wildlife behavior without digital manipulation that alters scene authenticity or situations disturbing animals in their natural environments. This commitment to real moments distinguishes the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards from artificial or staged imagery, ensuring every laugh derives from nature’s spontaneous humor.
“The heroes of this competition are the real photographs of wildlife doing funny things,” Sullam emphasized. “The success of the competition is based on authenticity, and the amount of AI talk is great because this means that we’re slightly different to everyone else. Actually, the success of the competition, the pictures have to be funny. Fortunately, life is filled with these moments just waiting to be captured.”
Recent unseen entries from the 2025 competition demonstrate nature’s comedic timing. A damselfly repeatedly turned behind a grass blade whenever photographed, then appeared to wave goodbye when the photographer gave up. A spectacled caiman in Brazil’s Pantanal wore Julia butterflies on its eyes like fashion accessories as the insects lapped minerals from crocodile tears. A burrowing owl executed an unconventional takeoff resembling a yoga pose rather than traditional wing beats.
The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards partners with conservation organizations, including the Born Free Foundation and the Whitley Fund for Nature, using humor to raise awareness of wildlife protection and habitat preservation. By creating positive emotions through laughter, the competition fosters empathy that leads to behavioral change in how people view and interact with wildlife.
“These images raise our spirits,” Sullam explained. “They create a positive emotion. That positive emotion leads to empathy, and it’s empathy which leads to attitudinal and behavioral change.”
Alison Tuck’s 2025 highly commended image and STERNA People’s Choice Award winner, “Now which direction is my nest,” captures exactly what Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards co-founder Paul Sullam describes as the competition’s core purpose: a moment of joy that sparks empathy and moves people closer to caring about the natural world. Photo courtesy of Nikon Comedy Wildlife.
The competition demonstrates how wildlife photography transcends cultural and linguistic barriers through universal humor. What makes one viewer laugh might differ from their neighbor, creating unconditionally personal reactions that make images accessible to everyone while remaining cross-border and multicultural in appeal.
Entries frequently reveal striking similarities between animal and human behavior. Family photographs show partnerships between mature adults who communicate effectively and teenagers displaying characteristic traits, such as staying in bed all day or excessive screen time. Young animals share without being asked, though they occasionally squabble over resources. Photo bombs occur when animals notice cameras, and family portrait sessions produce predictably chaotic results.
The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards celebrates its tenth anniversary in 2026 with growing entries and increasingly difficult judging decisions. Winners receive photography equipment prizes from sponsors, including Nikon, ThinkTANK photo bags, fine art prints on Hahnemühle paper from STERNA, and global recognition through exhibitions and media coverage. The People’s Choice Award allows public voting on finalists, with the competition running from December through March to launch the following year’s submissions.
Photographers retain full copyright of submitted images while granting organizers permission to use photographs for promotional purposes, including exhibitions, media coverage, and conservation messaging. This arrangement allows photographers to maintain ownership while contributing to broader conservation education efforts.
See also: Mangrove Photography Awards Open for 2026 Submissions Celebrating Critical Coastal Ecosystems
The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards addresses humanity’s growing cultural divide from wildlife by changing narratives from negative warnings to positive appreciation. Coexistence rather than separation, acknowledgment of wildlife’s positive value, and recognition that planetary diversity represents a privilege requiring protection from the competition are the core messages.
“The pictures I’ve shown you today, which are a tiny fraction of the thousands that we have, are a reminder to us that it’s our job to be custodians of these tender moments,” Sullam concluded. “That we should accept coexistence rather than separation, complete separation from wildlife. And finally, that diversity on the planet is a privilege that we should cherish.”
Photographers interested in submitting entries can register and upload images through the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards website through the June 30, 2026 deadline, joining thousands of contributors documenting nature’s hilarious moments while supporting global conservation efforts.
