Comedy Wildlife Awards Finalists Include Rude Orangutan and Startled Owl

The 2026 Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards has announced its finalists, selected from over 10,000 entries. The shortlist includes humorous animal photos such as a squirrel startling an owl, an orangutan making a rude gesture, and a mantis in a comical pose. The overall winner will receive a safari trip in Kenya's Maasai Mara National Reserve.

The 2026 Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards shortlist was chosen from more than 10,000 submissions. The top prize is a luxury safari in Kenya’s Maasai Mara National Reserve. Finalists include a “Sexy Mantis” by Diego Perez and a squirrel startling a great horned owl fledgling at Natural Bridges State Beach in Santa Cruz, California.

Photographer Kevin Lohman reported the squirrel knocked the owl from its perch three times. Great horned owls, Bubo virginianus, prey on squirrels. Another finalist shows a critically endangered male Bornean orangutan, Pongo pygmaeus, raising a finger in Borneo; photographer Tanner Mansell said it had just finished eating. A sparrowhawk, Accipiter nisus, in Dumfries, Scotland, appears in “Ballet Dancer.”