Our favorite finalists from the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

Wild animals doing wildly hilarious things.

By Jeanette D. Moses | Published Oct 11, 2018 4:15 PM EDT

Inspiration

Award-winning wildlife photographs usually feature a majestic elk set against a backdrop of lush trees or a regal lion captured during golden hour, but let’s face it, animals also do plenty of things that are less awe-inspiring and simply make humans laugh. There are hundreds of Instagram accounts out there that seem to exist for this sole purpose. The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awardstakes it a step further. The awards were founded in 2015 by wildlife photographers Tom Sullam and Paul Joynson-Hicks as a way to celebrate the hilarious frames they sometimes captured while out shooting.

Now in its fourth year, the 2018 entries didn’t disappoint. “This competition has gone from hilarious to utterly ridiculous humor—all provided to us by these fantastic animals,” co-founder Tom Sullam said in a statement.

The 41 finalists were announced last month and there are some true gems in there: a face-palming grizzly, a smiling lion, and some dancing Komodo dragons. The overall winner will be announced on November 15 and will be invited on a one-week safari in Maasai Mara, Kenya with Alex Walker.

These are some of our favorite images that were shortlisted for the grand prize.

Want more hilarious animal photos? You’re in luck. The second edition of the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards book was released just last week. Check it out here.

penguins pointing out the way — Penguin pointing. *Achim Sterna*

Guffaw — Big mouthed seal. *Amy Kennedy*

Moose sticking out tongue. *Barney Koszalka*

Brown bear cub with headache — Bear with a sore head. *Danielle D’Ermo*

Owl Yawning — One owl yawning while other looks bored. *Danielle D’Ermo*

squirrel doing the splits — Squirrel balancing on lupins. *Geert Weggen*

Bear next to street signs — Bear on drive safe sign. *Jonathan Irish*

Rhino and peacock — Rhino with peacock backside. *Kallol Mukherjee*

squirrel caught red-handed — Squirrel saying STOP. *Mary McGowan*

Rhino biting rhino butt — Hippo biting mum’s bum. *Michael Lane*

Happy lions — Happy smiling lions. *Muriel Vekemans*

majestic stag — Big eyed stag. *Robert Adamson*

martian tango — Komodo dragons doing the tango. *Sergey Savvi*

mother bear and cubs — Three bears up a tree. *Valtteri Mulkahainen*

Jeanette D. Moses

Jeanette D. Moses is a New York City–based filmmaker and photographer known for her intimate depictions of New York's creative communities. She’s been a contributor to PopPhoto since 2014, specializing in interviews, gear reviews, and all things analog.

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