Nature
PUBLISHED
It’s a dangerous world out there. Surviving in the wild takes strength. It takes smarts, and it occasionally involves wearing a wig that makes you look like Elvis.
At least, that’s the world according to the Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards. A highlight in the IFLScience calendar, this annual photography competition shows a side to animals you don’t see so much in the documentaries. A very silly side.
The 2026 competition received over 10,000 entries – the most that has ever been sent in. That's one hell of an album to sift through, but the finalists have been announced, and they’re incredible.
In “Out Of Water,” captured by Thong Duy Vu, we see a sunbird basking in nature’s bathtub: a banana blossom petal filled with water. The small bird fit snugly in the water, thrashing around, but after an initial exit decided it was time for another go.
“He jumped back into the tub, repeating his routine – tilting his head, spreading his wings, wagging his tail – but alas, why wasn't there a single drop of water left?” said Thong Duy Vu in a release emailed to IFLScience.
“He looked up at the sky and exclaimed, ‘Oh my goodness, where did all the water go? What kind of half-finished bath is this?’ He thought, this spa definitely deserves a one-star rating.”
Speaking of spas, photographer Eigel B Jensen captured this shot of an anhinga in Costa Rica trying on a rather ambitious face mask. The live fish was impaled on the bird’s beak – a successful hunt, but now how to get it into its mouth…
“When fishing they use sharp bills to spear their prey underwater,” said Jensen. “The challenge after capture is to release it from the bill before swallow the fish.”
"There were several comic situations as the bird tried to loosen the fish.”
The beautifying continued over in Brazil where Paolo Torre snapped a photo of a caiman with a head of hair to make Elvis jealous. Caiman are predatory reptiles with a deadly set of gnashers, but the fear factor is somewhat softened by a wig.
“This caiman emerged from the water in an area with a lot of floating vegetation, and part of it remained on its head,” said Torres. “It resembles a 1950s rock and roll hairstyle.”
Check out a few more of our favorites from the competition below:
" That universal look of pure panic when you suddenly wake up and realize you're supposed to be at work in five minutes," said Fabi Fregonesi. "Behind the comical face is a story of extreme underwater patience."
"This bear must have wandered near a nest, as several ivory gulls harassed her for quite a while," said US photographer Eric Boren. "I captured a number of images, including some where the gull appeared to be guiding the bear through the pack ice or traveling alongside her as a companion."
"At one point, the bear lay down and the gull landed nearby, allowing me to capture this photo of the two seeming to contemplate each other."
"Three young giraffes were standing side by side on the open, dry savanna and looked back at me with great curiosity," said Dirk Koster.
"Then I noticed that right behind the middle one stood a single umbrella acacia, perfectly lined up with its head and neck. Suddenly that giraffe seemed to be 'wearing' the tree, like a green hairdo or a rather fancy hat."
The judges will now begin the process of choosing the winners, with the announcement scheduled for December 8 in London. The winning images will then go on display at the Gallery@Oxo from 9 to 13 December.
You can also get involved with the People's Choice award, sponsored by STERNA, that opens on October 2 and closes March 1, 2027. One lucky voter will win £500, so don't miss it.
Not got an image but want to get involved? That’s six whole months to catch nature in the act – may the odds be ever in your favor.
