As 2025 rounds to a close, we could all use a little chuckle. And the Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards are here to help. Organisers of the popular competition, which aims to showcase the lighter side of nature while also raising awareness about the importance of safeguarding wild species and habitats, recently announced the winners in this year's contest. Taking home the top prize was UK photographer Mark Meth-Cohn whose perfectly timed capture of a gorilla parading through a forest clearing in Rwanda had the judges laughing the loudest.
“We spent four unforgettable days trekking through the misty Virunga Mountains in search of the gorilla families that call them home," Meth-Cohn told the competition organisers when recounting how he captured his award-winning image. "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.”
The winning image was selected from a pool of over 10,000 entries from 109 countries – the highest number to date in the competition's 11-year history.
"We are so thrilled to celebrate the incredible talent and creativity showcased in this year’s Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards," said Stefan Maier, Senior General Manager of Marketing at Nikon Europe. "All of our category winners use joy, skills and imagination to capture the natural world, and Mark’s winning image perfectly represents the playful spirit of wildlife. At Nikon, we are incredibly proud to support these visual storytellers and provide them with the tools to share their unique perspectives, inspiring audiences everywhere to connect with and care for our planet’s remarkable wildlife."
Also walking away with accolades at this year's contest was Grayson Bell for his image of two wrestling frogs which earned him the Nikon Junior Photographer Award, Paula Rustemeier who topped the Nikon Young Category for her shot of a trio of playful foxes, and Tatjana Epp whose video of a 'surfing heron' was named the winner in the Nikon Video Category.
In addition to the category winners, ten entires were recognised as Highly Commended for their creativity and composition. Here's a look at the full collection:
Funny
Funny
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