Laugh your head off at these funny finalists in the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

From an antelope with wings to a headless penguin, these fun-loving animals are sure to put a smile on your face.

The lighter side of animal photography – including wallabies play-fighting in Queensland – is showcased in the annual Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards.

The popular awards recognise the best comics of the animal kingdom and the photographers who capture them in action.

Some of the top entries this year – among 40 finalists – include a charming little raccoon waving to the camera, a cool fox giving a wink, a super squirrel flying through the air and a galloping, farting zebra.

British photographer Michael Eastwell snapped the play-fighting wallabies at sunrise at Cape Hillsborough, 1000km north of Brisbane.

“Apart from its beauty, Cape Hillsborough is renowned* for its resident kangaroos and wallabies,” Mr Eastwell said in his competition entry.

“I visited the area for three consecutive* sunrises, but it was my final morning that I captured this beautiful spectacle*: two wallabies playing/fighting on the beach as the sun burst through the surrounding clouds.”

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The finalists were selected from thousands of entries from professional* and amateur* photographers from around the world.

The awards were founded* in 2015 by professional photographers Paul Joynson-Hicks and Tom Sullam who wanted to create a competition focused on the funnier side of wildlife photography.

Mr Sullam said this year’s short-listed photographs would brighten anyone’s day.

“With so much going on in the world, we could all use a bumper* dose of fun and laughter and this year’s finalists have definitely delivered that,” he said.

“When you see these amazing photographs … it makes you smile and wonder at the incredible animals that are on this earth with us.”

Readers can vote in the People’s Choice Award for the animal snap that made them “laugh loudest” until November 27.

All award winners will be announced on December 8, with a week-long safari in Kenya awarded for the overall top shot.

To vote in the People’s Choice Award and to see more finalist photographs, see comedywildlifephoto.com

GLOSSARY

• renowned: well known, famous
• consecutive: one after another, in a row
• spectacle: something that is impressive and exciting to look at
• professional: a person who does a particular activity as a job
• amateur: a person who does a particular activity without it being their job
• founded: established, started
• bumper: very large

EXTRA READING

Best wildlife pictures of 2022

Funny wildlife shots are something to smile about

How to be a junior wildlife photographer

Fifth grader wins global photo prize

QUICK QUIZ

1. Where was the photograph of the play-fighting wallabies taken?
2. How many times did the photographer visit the area before getting the photograph of the wallabies?
3. When were the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards founded?
4. Why did Paul Joynson-Hicks and Tom Sullam create the awards?
5. What date will the winners be announced?

LISTEN TO THIS STORY

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Pick your favourites
Look at the photos. Choose your top three favourite photos and rank them from first to third. Write the reasons why you made your choice for each of the photos.

Time: allow 25 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Civics and Citizenship

2. Extension
Choose one of the photos. Write the story of what is happening in the photo from the animal’s point of view.

Time: allow 20 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English

VCOP ACTIVITY
Describe it
Choose one of the animal photographs in this story and make a list of five nouns that you see. Then describe those five nouns with five adjectives.

Add a preposition to those five nouns and adjectives.

Now choose your favourite bundle and put all the words together to make one descriptive sentence.