From wig-wearing caimans to handstanding leopards: meet the funniest wildlife finalists
By Animals Correspondent
The finalists for the 2026 Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards have been announced followinga record-breaking response, with more than 10,000 entries submitted from 112 countries.
This year’s shortlist celebrates some of the funniest and most unexpected moments captured in the wild.
It includes 40 individual finalists, three Under-16 finalists, four Portfolio finalists and nine Video finalists.
Among the standout images are a caiman appearing to wear a wig, a leopard seemingly performing a handstand, a white-tailed eagle caught in a particularly confident stride and a polar bear appearing to have a conversation with a seagull.
The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards were founded in 2015 by professional photographers Paul Joynson-Hicks MBE and Tom Sullam.
The competition combines wildlife photography with humour to encourage people to connect with animals and raise awareness of the importance of conservation.
This year’s competition is supporting the Born Free Foundation, an international charityworking to rescue and protect wild animals and conserve threatened species and their natural habitats.
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The overall winner will receive a once-in-a-lifetime safari with Alex Walker’s Serian in Kenya’s Masai Mara. Other prizes include Nikon cameras and photography equipment, along with photography bags from ThinkTANK.
The winners will be announced at an awards night in London on 8 December.
The 2026 finalists will then be showcased in a free exhibition at Gallery@Oxo from 9 to 13 December, giving visitors the chance to see the photographs up close.
The public can also have their say through the People’s Choice Award, with voting openfrom 2 October until 1 March 2027. One lucky voter will be selected at random to receive £500.
