Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards finalists revealed

Posted on Oct 6, 2026 by Lily Smith

Nikon has announced the finalists for the Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards 2026 – including the 9 budding movie makers vying for the prize in the comedy video category.

Lead image: ‘Sexy Mantis’ [© Diego Perez / Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards]

This year’s shortlist features 40 Individual Finalists, 3 U16 Category Finalists, 4 Portfolio Category Finalists and 9 Video Category Finalists – a spectacular collection of mesmerising, feel-good and laugh-out-loud moments that celebrate the wonder of wildlife in all its glory.

Among the hilarious hopefuls vying for this year’s top prizes are a mantis posing suggestively for a photo, a giraffe wearing a wig, a bear doing an abs workout, and a polar bear appearing to chat to a seagull. The 2026 competition has attracted more than 10,000 entries from 112 countries, the highest number in the Awards’ history.

'The Different One' [© Dirk Koster / Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards]

'Angry Bird' [© Jan Wittmer / Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards]

'Morning Calisthenics' [© Scott Suriano / Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards]

Celebrating wildlife movie making

It’s not all about the stills – videographers are also getting involved in the Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards. Alongside the thousands of entries from photographers, the 2026 awards have also seen funny clips coming in from budding wildlife movie makers.

Check out the video entries from the nine finalists below:

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'Resting Owl Face' [© Ka Chun Jacky Sung / Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards]

'Nature's Window' [© Lee Frost / Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards]

'Exhausted Badger Cub' [© Lukas Andree Andersen / Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards]

When will the winners be announced?

The Overall Winner, Category and Highly Commended Winners will be announced on Tuesday 8th December at a dedicated awards evening in London. This will be followed by a one-week, free exhibition where Nikon will showcase the 2026 Award Finalists at the Gallery@Oxo.

Entrants are competing for an incredible line-up of prizes, including Nikon’s Z6III full-frame mirrorless camera, Z50II mirrorless camera and the Nikon ZR compact cinema camera. The overall winner will also embark on a once-in-a-lifetime safari with Alex Walker’s Serian in the Masai Mara, while other prizes up for grabs include some of the best-selling photography rucksacks from ThinkTANK.

The Sterna’s People’s Choice Award will be open from 10 December until March 1 2027 for the public to vote on their favourite.

This year’s shortlist will be reviewed by Nikon Creators Cameron Whitnall, Hannah Stitfall and Roxy Hemadani, alongside Nikon Ambassador Daisy Gilardini. New to the judging panel for 2026 are author and presenter Roma Wells, wildlife photographers Will Fortescue and Jamie Smart, and climate comedian Stuart Goldsmith. Completing this year’s expert line-up are TV presenter Kate Humble, actor and comedian Hugh Dennis, renowned wildlife photographer Will Burrard-Lucas, and co-founder of the Born Free Foundation, Will Travers OBE.

'Careful, You'll Leave a Love Bite' [© Doug Gimesy / Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards]

'Did I Sleep Past My Alarm?' [© Fabi Fregonesi / Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards]

'If I Were Just a Little Faster?' [© Eric Boren / Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards]

About the Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards

Founded in 2015 by professional photographers Paul Joynson-Hicks MBE and Tom Sullam, the Awards celebrate outstanding wildlife photography through the universal power of humour, while shining a light on the importance of protecting the wildlife and habitats our planet depends on. Authenticity remains at the heart of the competition, with all images capturing genuine moments in the wild and no AI or digital manipulation permitted.

Comedy Wildlife is once again delighted to be working with the Born Free Foundation, an international charity dedicated to rescuing and protecting wild animals from exploitation, while conserving threatened species and their natural habitats for generations to come. An inspiring mission which the Awards are proud to support

Tom Sullam, Comedy Wildlife Competition Co-founder says: “The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards started very gently, somewhere out on the vast plains of the Serengeti. What began as a small effort to raise awareness of wildlife conservation has grown into something far bigger than we ever imagined.

“The competition is now truly global, and a decade or so on, we want to make it even bigger, funnier, and more far-reaching than ever. We use humour to get people to feel empathy towards wildlife, and it’s that empathy that creates behavioural change for the better.”

Find out more at nikon.co.uk and comedywildlifephoto.com.

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