A water buffalo wearing a plant hat, a praying mantis posing provocatively, and a young elephant receiving a full blast of dust: the finalists of the Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards 2026 have been announced. This year the competition received more than 10,000 entries from 112 countries. Bionieuws selected twelve photographs and two videos from the shortlist. The overall winners will be announced on 8 December.
Andy Rouse – Doris with her hat
A water buffalo in Sri Lanka lifts her head out of the water, with a generous clump of aquatic plants between her horns. To photographer Andy Rouse, it looked as though she had put on a hat specially for the occasion.
Diego Perez – Sexy mantis
A green praying mantis peers over a leaf in Camanti, Peru. With part of the animal hidden from view, its disproportionately large forelegs suddenly look suspiciously like a pair of long legs.
Robert Gondek – The Ground Is Lava!
A Senegal chameleon carefully crosses the sandy ground in Togo, West Africa. With one foot held high in the air, the reptile appears above all to be trying to avoid touching the ground.
Thong Duy Vu – Out of water
A sunbird bathes in the water that has collected inside a banana flower in Vietnam. After a vigorous splashing session, the improvised bath turns out to be completely empty.
Heather Cudworth – Lessons
A young savanna elephant receives a face full of dust in Amboseli National Park, Kenya. Its mother was taking a dust bath – a behaviour elephants use, among other things, to protect their skin from sun and irritation.
Fabi Fregonesi – Did I sleep past my alarm?
A blenny pokes its head out of a small opening in the reef off Curaçao. At the precise moment the animal opens its mouth to grab food, Fabi Fregonesi captures its startled expression.
Jeetendra Chaware – The Secret Kiss
Two blue-winged parakeets draw close to one another in southern India. From photographer Jeetendra Chaware’s angle, their intimate exchange looks suspiciously like a secret kiss.
Lee Frost – Nature’s Window
An azure damselfly creeps behind a leaf on an early morning in Stoke-on-Trent, England. The insect then pokes its head through a gap and raises one foreleg at the very moment the photograph is taken.
Celine Nic Oireachtaigh – Zonkling
A group of young greylag geese huddle together after a swim at Finnamore Lakes in Ireland. While the chicks sleep, their parents keep watch nearby.
Marek Jackowski – Sea gangsters
A group of walruses come to investigate photographer Marek Jackowski on Svalbard. Eight animals swam towards him and remained in his vicinity for around ten minutes before disappearing again.
Eric Boren – If I were just a little faster…
A polar bear and an ivory gull come face to face on the pack ice north of Svalbard. The gull was part of a group that had been pestering the bear for some time, presumably because it had strayed too close to a nest.
Tapani Linnanmäki – Fashion fades. Feather coats are forever.
A white-tailed eagle strides across wet sea ice near Kustavi in Finland. Photographer Tapani Linnanmäki has been photographing white-tailed eagles at this spot for four winters and suspects this is the same individual that has been visiting the site for several years.
Video – Steven Chu – Stumbling Chick
A young Eurasian oystercatcher runs along the beach at Nickerson Beach in New York, fails to notice a stick and stumbles headlong. The parent watches from close by. © Steven Chu / Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards
Video – Harry Collins – Sand Bath
A young burrowing owl in Florida chooses an unfortunate spot while its mother works sand out of the nest area. The chick receives the full load of excavated material straight over its head. © Harry Collins / Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards