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Highly commended: Marti Phillips, “Are You Kidding.” All images © the photographers, courtesy of the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards, shared with permission

Silliness and Style Take Top Honors in the 2024 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

A red squirrel diving headlong into a tree snags the top award in the 2024 Nikon Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards (previously), snapped by Italian photographer Milko Marchetti. “He has been sitting on this beauty of a shot for a couple of years now and decided that this year was the year to enter it,” the organizers say. “We are chuffed he did because this little red squirrel has only gone and won the whole competition!”

Additional category winners and highly commended images include a beady-eyed “mafia boss” by Takashi Kubo, a discombobulated eagle by Tapani Linnanmäki, and a celebratory mantis by Jose Miguel Gallego Molina. Check out more finalists, including a few that won in their categories, and see the entire gallery on the contest’s website.

the feet and tail of a red squirrel sticking out of a tree
Overall winner and Mammal Category winner: Milko Marchetti, “Stuck Squirrel”
Highly commended: Takashi Kubo, “Mafia Boss”
People’s Choice Award category winner: Tapani Linnanmäki, “Shake, ruffle, rattle, and roll”
Highly commended: Leslie Mcleod, “Hide and Seek”
Highly commended: Andy Rouse, “Alright mate, back off. This is my bird”
Highly commended: Arvind Mohandas, “The Contemplative Chimpanzee”
Highly commended: Sanjay Patil, “The Rock Star”
Highly commended: Artur Stankiewicz, “I’m too sexy for my love”

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