Mother Nature is not always poised and elegant, sometimes she is downright nutty and nonsensical. The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards is back for 2019 and off to a loony start.
The competition was co-founded by photographers Tom Sullam and Paul Joynson-Hicks MBE, who wanted to foster an appreciation for the absurd, lighter side of wildlife. Despite the humorous theme, their mission is to promote conservation through positive imagery. To do this, they’ve partnered with The Born Free Foundation, a wildlife charity that aims to keep animals in wild places and treat them with compassion.
Together, they hope to share three main conservation messages. The first is to shop responsibly by looking at the ingredients in products (ie palm oil). The second is to use less water at home: “Ok, this is the thing, each time you flush the loo we send approx. 20 liters of water down the drain – seriously, it’s crazy. So 'If it’ s yellow, let it mellow'... you know the rest...! Have shorter showers, water your garden a little less.” The third is to become a “wild influencer” by encouraging friends and family to do the simple things that make a different, vote, and to talk about conservation on social media.
The competition, now in its fifth year, is open to the public and free to enter until June 30, 2019. Without further ado, here is a selection of some of the best images the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2019 have received so far.
To view more, check out 2018's winning images here, 2017's batch of absurdities, and 2016's giggly wonders.
