Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2020 finalists revealed

13 September 2020

The finalists of this year's Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards have been announced, each one showing the power of anthropomorphism.

A fish appearing to smile at the camera — Image caption,
Smiley, by Arthur Telle Thiemann. A Sparisoma cretense in El Hierro, Canary Islands

A fish that appears to smile, a bear giving a friendly wave from afar and a very grumpy sea turtle - this year's finalists show animals in relatable comedy moments.

The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards, external were founded by Paul Joynson-Hicks and Tom Sullam, both professional photographers and passionate conservationists.

In addition to providing some light-hearted relief, the competition aims to highlight the extremely important message of wildlife conservation in an engaging and positive way, working with competition partner The Born Free Foundation.

The winners will be announced at an online awards ceremony on 22 October.

In the meantime, here are a few finalists' entries that might give you a chortle.

A giraffe looking sideways into the photographic frame of another giraffe — Image caption,
Crashing into the picture, by Brigitte Alcalay Marcon. Giraffes in Etosha National Park, Namibia

A bear holding up its paw and looking up at the camera — Image caption,
Hi Y'all, by Eric Fisher. A brown bear in Alaska

A bird ruffling its wings — Image caption,
Tern tuning its wings, by Daniele D'Ermo, Florida

A turtle appearing to be gesticulating at the camera — Image caption,
Terry the Turtle flipping the bird, by Mark Fitzpatrick, Lady Elliot Island, Queensland, Australia

A parrot holding up its foot to another parrot — Image caption,
Social distance please, by Petr Sochman. Rose-ringed parakeets in Kaudulla national park, Sri Lanka

A gorilla looking bored — Image caption,
Boredom, by Marcus Westberg. A mountain gorilla in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, Uganda

Two bears, one playing around and one looking grumpy — Image caption,
We all have that friend, by Yarin Klein. Brown bears at Kuril Lake, Kamchatka, Russia

A young fox looking down at a rodent — Image caption,
Tough Negotiations, by Ayala Fishaimer. A fox and a rodent in Israel

A group of penguins walking on a beach with one of them throwing up — Image caption,
I could puke, by Christina Holfelder. Gentoo penguins in the Falkland Islands

A monkey scratching its bottom — Image caption,
Socially Uninhibited, by Martin Grace. A chacma baboon near River Chobe, Botswana

Four mongoose looking up with wide eyes — Image caption,
Surprise Smiles, by Asaf Sereth. Dwarf mongoose at Lake Bogoria, Kenya

A bird with wet spiky feathers — Image caption,
Covid Hair, by Gail Bisson. A Reddish egret in Fort Desoto, Florida

A large seal lying on a rock appearing to laugh — Image caption,
Having a Laugh, by Ken Crossan. A common seal in Caithness, Scotland

A kingfisher on a "no fishing" sign with a fish in its mouth — Image caption,
It's a Mocking Bird, by Sally Lloyd Jones. A kingfisher in Kirkcudbright, Scotland

A monkey in water looking shocked at the temperature of the water — Image caption,
So hot, by Wei Ping Peng. A snow monkey in Japan

A bird with its wings outstretched behind another bird — Image caption,
Abracadabra, by Vicki Jauron. Brown pelicans in Fort Myers Beach, Florida

A red squirrel appearing to be chortling — Image caption,
The inside joke, by Femke-van-Willigen. A Eurasian red squirrel in Espelo, the Netherlands

A raccoon with its legs sticking out of a hole in a tree — Image caption,
Almost time to get up, by Charlie Davidson. A raccoon in Newport News, Virginia

A monkey swinging on the tails of two other monkeys — Image caption,
Fun For All Ages, by Thomas Vijayan. Langurs in Kabini, India

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