A hilarious photo of a squirrel perched in a tree has taken home the top prize at Nikon’s Comedy Wildlife Awards 2024.
The competition, which is being billed as ‘the world’s funniest and most popular photography competition’, came to an end last night.
More than 9,000 photos were taken this year, with the judges shortlisting just 45 photos.
However, it was Milko Marchetti who was announced as the winner of this year’s competition for his painting, ‘Stuck Squirrel’.
An interesting picture shows a red squirrel climbing into a tree, its legs on the right side of the trunk.
‘I have taken many pictures of squirrels, over the years Italy,’ Mr. Marchetti explained.
‘But this was very interesting and strange to me, because it is the exact moment when the squirrel is removing its hind legs from the trunk to enter its skin.
‘Whenever I show this picture at an environmental meeting at my local photography club, the audience always erupts in hysterical laughter, so I have to join in!’
A hilarious photo of a squirrel perched in a tree has taken home the top prize at Nikon’s Comedy Wildlife Awards 2024
The competition, which is being billed as ‘the world’s funniest and most popular photography competition’, came to an end last night.
In the Insects category, Jose Miguel Gallego Molina won for his image, called ‘Mantis Flamenca’, while Eberhard Ehmke won the Reptiles and Amphibian Award for his image, ‘Frog in a balloon’.
The judges explained that Mr Marchetti’s painting really showed the “fun” of nature.
Stefan Maier, Senior General Manager of Marketing at Nikon Europe, said: “We are delighted to celebrate Milko Marchetti’s outstanding win in the Nikon Comedy Photography Awards 2024.
‘His image, “Stuck Squirrel,” wonderfully captures the playful and unexpected moments that make nature so interesting.
‘This year’s competition has received a number of entries, each a testament to the power of photography to evoke emotions.
‘We look forward to continuing to inspire the next generation of wildlife artists through these fantastic awards.’
As the winner, Mr Marchetti will receive a ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ trip to the Masai Mara, including a handmade trophy and a designer bag.
In addition to Mr Marchetti, Nikon bagged nine other Category Winners, 10 Most Commended Winners, and a Young Artist Award.
In the Insects category, Jose Miguel Gallego Molina won for his image, called ‘Mantis Flamenca’, while Eberhard Ehmke won the Reptiles and Amphibian Award for his image, ‘Frog in a balloon’.
Damyan Petkov’s photograph, ‘Whiskered Tern crash landing’ was selected as the winner in the Birds category.
A stunning photo of a fish seen hunting an eagle has won the Fish and Other Aquatic Species Award
In the Under-16 category, Sarthakk Ranganadhan won for their picture ‘kosmoochi owl’.
‘While taking pictures in the pond I found this frog with its head in a bud. This is similar to a tree bell,’ Mr Ehmke explained.
Damyan Petkov’s photograph, ‘Whiskered Tern crash on landing’ was selected as the winner in the Birds category, while an interesting photograph of a fish that appears to be hunting an eagle won the Fish and Other Aquatic Species Award.
In the Under-16 category, Sarthakk Ranganadhan won for their picture of ‘osmooching owls’.
They said: ‘Our parents always find a way to embarrass us, and I think the same is true of owls.’
‘It was really interesting to see two owls trying to find a secret while their little ones stood next to them with their eyes closed.’
Meanwhile, Kingston Tam won the Under-25 category for his photo titled ‘Awkward smiley frog’.
The People’s Choice Award went to Tapani Linnanmaki for their photo, ‘Shake ruffle rattle and roll’.
‘In this photo, a white-tailed eagle is fluttering its feathers. The photo was taken with the Nikon Z9’s autocapture feature,” he said.
Kingston Tam won the Under-25 category for his photo titled ‘Awkward smiley frog’
The People’s Choice Award went to Tapani Linnanmaki for their photo, ‘Shake ruffle rattle and roll’
Sanjay Patil was widely appreciated for his portrayal of a lizard with a fan, dubbed ‘The Rock Star’.
‘The camera is placed on top of the sea ice on top of a bag of peanuts on the ice shelf.
‘I couldn’t believe what I saw when I saw this picture. There were more than ten interesting and descriptive pictures.’
Flynn Thaitanunde-Lobb won the Amazing Internet Portfolio Award for their series of pictures showing a squirrel walking with a stick.
Finally, Kevin Lohman won the Video Category Award for his wolf video with ‘zoomies’.
‘The Red Wolf on a cold morning could not enjoy playing on the cold grass,’ he said.
‘I was watching this fox walking slowly on the grass when suddenly it became zoomy like my dog does after taking a bath.
‘It started rolling on the ice-covered grass, then it slid, then it shook like nothing happened.’
