Overall Winner and Mammals Category Winner — ‘Stuck Squirrel’ by Milko Marchetti | 2024 Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards
The Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards winners were announced today at the competition’s Awards Night at the Oxo Gallery in London. Photographer Milko Marchetti is this year’s overall winner, thanks to his excellent and hilarious image of a red squirrel stuck in a tree, aptly named “Stuck Squirrel.”
Marchetti bested a record number of photographers this year, as the Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards received over 9,000 images, the highest total in its decade of existence.
The competition says the final selection was challenging this year, with only a few points separating the top five entries. Ultimately, Marchetti’s hilarious image won out.
“I have taken many, many photographs of squirrels, in many situations over the years in Italy, but this one struck me as really funny and such a strange position, because it is that exact moment when the squirrel is detaching its back legs from the trunk to enter its hide,” the photographer says. “Whenever I show this image at the nature seminars at my local photography club, the audience always explode with raucous laughter, so I had to enter it!”
For his victory, Marchetti receives a once-in-a-lifetime safari in the Masai Mara, Kenya, with Alex Walker’s Serian, plus a unique handmade trophy from the Wonder Workshop in Tanzania. Marchetti also gets a new photography bag from Think Tank.
When Marchetti received a call from Tom Sullam, co-founder of the Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards alongside Paul Joynson-Hicks, Marchetti says he shouted, “Wow,” over and over while jumping for joy.
“Looking at the beautiful finalists’ photos, I would never have thought I would be the chosen one. What can I say — I am so, so happy,” the winning photographer adds.
“We are thrilled to celebrate Milko Marchetti’s outstanding achievement in the Nikon Comedy Photography Awards 2024. His image, ‘Stuck Squirrel,’ brilliantly captures the playful and unpredictable moments that make nature so enchanting,” says Stefan Maier, General Manager of Marketing at Nikon Europe. “This year’s competition received a record number of entries, each one a testament to the power of photography in evoking emotion. We look forward to continuing to inspire the next generation of wildlife photographers through these wonderful awards.”
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2024 Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards Category Winners
Alongside Marchetti’s overall winning photo, the judges selected additional category winners, plus special award winners. All these winning images are featured below.
Insect Category Winner — ‘Mantis Flamenca’ by Jose Miguel Gallego Molina | 2024 Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards
Reptile Category Winner — ‘Frog in a Balloon’ by Eberhard Ehmke | 2024 Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards
Bird Category Winner — ‘Whiskered Tern Crash On Landing’ by Damyan Petkov | 2024 Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards
Fish and Other Aquatic Animals Category Winner — ‘Unexpected Role Swap’ by Przemyslaw Jakubczyk | 2024 Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards
Nikon Junior Category Winner — ‘Smooching Owlets’ by Sarthak Rangandadhan | 2024 Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards
Nikon Young Photographer Category Winner (25 years old and younger) — ‘Awkward Smiley Frog’ by Kingston Tam | 2024 Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards
Portfolio Category Winner — Flynn Thaitanunde-Lobb | 2024 Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards
People’s Choice Winner — ‘Shake, Ruffle, Rattle, and Roll’ by Tapani Linnanmäki | 2024 Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards
The Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards winners will be on exhibit at the Oxo Gallery in London from December 11-15 and arefeatured on the competition’s website.
If you’re not in or visiting the UK, all of 2024’s finalists can be seen on the Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards website.
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Image credits:Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards. All photographers are credited in the individual image captions.