A younger gorilla skipping via a forest clearing in Rwanda has charmed judges and audiences alike within the 2025 Nikon Comedy Wildlife Picture Awards. As British photographer Mark Meth-Cohn defined to PEOPLE, the teen “was particularly eager to indicate off his acrobatic aptitude,” high-kicking and tumbling via the clearing. Titled “Excessive 5,” the picture gained the 2025 Nikon Comedy Wildlife Picture Awards, captured throughout a trek within the Virunga Mountains.
Meth-Cohn spent 4 days monitoring gorilla households within the mist. His endurance paid off when the Amahoro household gathered in an open patch of forest. Adults foraged. Juveniles performed onerous. One determined to bounce. That burst of vitality turned the successful picture, celebrated for its timing and spirit.
Picture: Comedy Wildlife Picture Awards / Paula Rustemeier
“Hit the dance ground!” by Paula Rustemeier, Germany
Document-Breaking Competitors, International Highlight
This yr’s contest drew greater than 10,000 entries from 109 international locations, the biggest area in its historical past, based on CNN. Judges narrowed the pool to 40 finalists earlier than choosing winners throughout classes for mammals, reptiles, bugs, underwater life, and youth entries. The awards ceremony happened in London, the place organizers emphasised the enjoyment these photographs convey at a time when wildlife information can really feel heavy.
The competitors’s founders say humor opens a door for empathy. The mission of the Comedy Wildlife Awards is to assist folks join with wildlife by highlighting moments that reveal how expressive animals will be.
Picture: Comedy Wildlife Picture Awards / Mark Meth-Cohn
“Excessive 5” by Mark Meth-Cohn, UK
A Frog Combat, Dancing Foxes, and a Smiling Fish
Teen photographer Grayson Bell delivered one of many yr’s most memorable frames. His picture of two frogs locked in a dramatic mid-pond tussle, “Baptism of an Unwilling Convert,” gained each the junior class and the reptile, amphibian, and bug award. Bell advised PEOPLE he didn’t understand what he’d captured till reviewing the pictures at dwelling.
Germany’s Paula Rustemeier gained the younger photographer class with a full of life fox scene titled “Hit the Dance Flooring,” CNN stories. In the meantime, a beaming fish named “Smiley” earned Jenny Inventory high aquatic honors.
Picture: Comedy Wildlife Picture Awards / Grayson Bell
“Baptism Of The Unwilling Convert” by Grayson Bell, USA
Extremely Recommended Moments
Different standout photographs present a bear glancing upward with a delicate grin, three younger lions mid-yawn, and a lemur pausing with a raised finger as if deep in thought. Photographer Liliana Luca described the Malagasy lemur as having “the timing of a comic,” a second she shared with PEOPLE. A playful troop of monkeys in Zimbabwe additionally made the commendation checklist, captured throughout Kalin Botev’s honeymoon.
Every entry reveals one thing acquainted: expression, mischief, and an sudden sense of drama.
Picture: Comedy Wildlife Picture Awards / Jessica Emmett
“Battle Hug” by Jessica Emmett, Singapore
Comedy With a Conservation Objective
The competitors continues to make use of humor to spark consciousness about wildlife conservation. Hundreds of photographs now serve not solely as leisure however as reminders of the individuality of animals the world over. Because the organizers clarify, their purpose is straightforward: interact folks with pleasure first, then information them towards valuing and defending the species behind the laughter.
