Hilarious Captures: Unveiling the Winners of the 2023 Comedy Wildlife Photo Award

Get ready to chuckle, giggle, or even burst out laughing, because this is the most anticipated moment of the year for fans of humorous animal photos.

The judges for the Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards, based in the UK, have reviewed over 1,800 images from 85 countries to determine if they are humorous, amusing, or downright hilarious. And the grand winner for 2023 is a kangaroo posing with an air guitar, deserving of a drumroll and musical accompaniment.

Photographer Jason Moore captured a stunning image of a female western grey kangaroo in a wildflower field on the outskirts of Perth, Australia. As a result, he received a custom trophy, a photography bag, and a one-week safari in Kenya's Maasai Mara.

The six category winners included young photographer Jacek Stankiewicz, who won the Junior Award for his photo of quarrelsome greenfinches titled "Dispute." Additionally, the winner of the Underwater category was a photo of an otter with a ballerina-like pose, taken by Singaporean photographer Otter Kwek.

As a kid she posed with her pilot dad in the cockpit. Years later they recreated the photo, with a twist

Wildlife conservation

Ten more entries were identified as Highly Commended winners. These include a sophisticated Ubud monkey using its tail as a fake mustache, a happy turtle making friends with a dragonfly, and a lively joey throwing "jazz hands" in mid-air. View the remaining finalists for this year in our previous story here.

However, this whimsical anthropomorphism also has a more serious impact. Founded in 2015 by professional photographers Paul Joynson-Hicks and Tom Sullam, the awards also aim to advocate for wildlife conservation. This year's competition is supporting the Whitley Fund for Nature, a UK charity that provides funding for conservationists globally.

Diehard fans will be delighted to know that the LOLs are not stopping anytime soon. The inaugural Comedy Wildlife Guided African Safari is set to take place in Tanzania in October 2024, led by award co-founders Hicks and Sullam, along with wildlife expert Kate Humble.

The cost for the eight-night trip is £11,425 (approximately $13,900) per person based on double occupancy. Be cautious while in the open safari vehicles as laughing uncontrollably while in the path of a wildebeest migration is not advised.