Welcome to the Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards
Competition Categories
First things first, the competition is open to all camera brand users. Yup, that’s right, we don’t mind what equipment you use, as long as it features wildlife and it’s funny..(harder than it sounds!)
You can enter a total of up to 10 images and 2 videos – that’s it, no more.
You can enter up to 3 images into each category, except the Amazing Internet (and they are…) Portfolio category where you have to enter 4 pictures. (More info on the categories below.)
Another thing, remember if your pic is hilarious but in the wrong category, fret not. We will put it into the right category, simple as that, aren’t we nice?
Alex Walker’s Serian Mammals Category
Enter your funniest pictures of wildlife mammals in this pot. Always worth having a double check on the old Google to check the tricky ones that sometimes catch us out, but basically if it is funny and a mammal, this is the one!!
Spectrum Photo Birds Category
You guessed it, birds, birds birds – seriously we get so many excellent ones flocking in (geddit?) that it has a category all of its own. Couldn’t be simpler – it’s about birds innit!
ThinkTANK Reptiles, Amphibians and Insects Category
Hopefully not much explanation needed here, and don’t worry Tom and Paul will spot any rogue entries and will pop them in the correct category, because they are both experts in their field, highly intelligent, charming and knowledgeable and you get the picture.
Fish and Other Aquatic Species Category
Ok, you can put an underwater picture of an elephant swimming and farting at the same time, but we would move it into Mammal Category, so this one is for creatures (mainly fish, let’s be honest) which live IN water. Not next to it, near it or within a stone’s throw of it but actually in it. Get those goggles out and see what you’ve got for this one.
Amazing Internet Portfolio Category
This is a brilliant category and to be honest a hard one. We want a collection of 4 images which are a collection, or portfolio, (that clue is in the category title) of really funny wildlife images. You can put 4 unconnected images in, as your portfolio, but you will get more points if the 4 images are connected, say “4 Owlet pics” for example, or they can be 4 images which portray a really funny scenario as it unfolds. I think you get where we are going with this one.
Nikon Junior Category (Under 16)
This is a category for kids with a talent for taking great and funny wildlife pictures. To enter this one you have to be 16 years old or less by 11.59pm June 30 2026 (BST). If you’re not, don’t fret just enter another category but if you are, then go for it! I hope that makes sense! (All camera brand users welcome)
Nikon Young Photographer Category (Under 25)
This is a category for slightly older and bigger kids, but still young and keen to crack into the photography world. You have to be 25 years old or under (definitely not over) by 11.59pm June 30 2026 (BST). And we will be asking for hard, solid evidence if your image makes it through to the shortlist, so no cheating. Fluttering those eyelids will not work…very well. (All camera brand users welcome)
Nikon Video Clip Category
Listen carefully; this is the category where you can enter up to 2 video clips and each one can be no more than 15 seconds. They should be a maximum resolution of 1080p HD at 30fps with a maximum file size of 150MB but any resolution below that is acceptable too. Videos will be uploaded to Vimeo which accepts most major and popular video types. Please check the Vimeo website if you have any questions.
Please do not add music, captions or anything like that to the video (don’t worry about peoples voices that’s ok), but do make sure you edit it as judiciously (look it up, that’s what Google is for) as possible. Much better you send us a 15 second clip which is short, sharp and brilliant, rather than us having to trawl through 45 seconds of dull video to find the funny 10 seconds at the end. Edit it, it will increase your chance of success in the competition and the chances of the clip going viral, oh yeah, don’t forget that bit!!
People’s Choice Category
This is a category that you will automatically get entered into if you become a Nikon Comedy Wildlife Finalist (announced in October 2026) for the public to vote for their favourite.
Rules, Terms and Conditions 2026
1. We, Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards Limited of 65 Woodbridge Road, Guildford, Surrey GU1 4RD, are the organizer and promoter of the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards (‘CWPA’).
2. The winner will be the picture, which, in the opinion of the judges, combines the best technical excellence with the most amusing content and caption. The judges’ decision will be final, and we will not enter into any correspondence concerning the final decision or the way the competition is organised.
3. Anyone can enter this competition as long as the law in their country of residence allows them to do so and neither they nor any member of their immediate families are employed by the sponsors, or us or are professionally involved in any way with the organisation or administration of the competition. By entering the competition, you confirm that you are eligible to do so and to claim the prize. We may require you to provide proof of such eligibility. There are no age restrictions, with the exception of the ‘Junior Category’ in which the Entrant is required to be 16 or under by 11.59pm 30 June 2026 (BST) and the ‘Young Photographer Category’ in which the Entrant is required to be 25 or under by 11.59pm 30 June 2026 (BST) If you are under 18 you will not be eligible for the main prize unless you are accompanied on the trip by your parent or guardian. We reserve the right to require that the parent or guardian of any entrant under 18 confirms in writing that they agree to be bound by these terms and conditions and will travel with you on the trip if you are the prize winner.
4. To enter the competition, you must visit our website, www.comedywildlifephoto.com, complete the online entry form and upload your entry(ies) before the deadline of 11.59pm, BST on 30 June 2026. We do not control the internet, and are not computer geeks, so we can’t take responsibility for any technical problems. It is up to you to ensure your entries reach us on time, no excuses.
5. You can enter up to a total of 10 images, with a maximum of three images into each category, except the Portfolio Category – where it must be a collection of 4 for this one, and up to two video clips, ideally no more than 15 seconds into the Video Clip Category. Each of the photographs entered must be in JPEG format, under 4MB per image. If you reach the finals, we will also require high resolution versions and the raw images or the original file, as well as surrounding photos taken at the same time as the entry. Remember quality over quantity. You are much more likely to win if you enter one or two really funny images than four, sort of, funny images.
6. There are no restrictions on entering images that have been published before, but you must inform us if they have won or been awarded in any other competitions. You must be the sole copyright owner, must have obtained all (if any) permissions needed to take and publish the picture (including, for example, from the owner of the premises where it was taken, or from any person or the owner of anything else featured in it), and must be free to grant us and our sponsors the rights mentioned in paragraph 13 below. I know that sounds complicated, but if you have taken the picture you are more than likely the copyright owner, but not necessarily, so please check and make sure and, if the picture has already been published elsewhere, check and make sure you have not already granted publication rights which conflict with those mentioned below. We will look to you to indemnify us for any liabilities and costs we incur, including legal costs, if anyone brings a valid claim against us alleging that any of the requirements of this paragraph have not been complied with. So, if your image is licensed, exclusively, to someone else, tell us please. It won’t affect your entry, but it will affect the license you are granting us!
7. Conservation is a crucial part of this competition and very close to all our hearts, which means that, if we get a sense that any animal has been disturbed, harassed, traumatized, or of course hurt or injured in the process of you getting your picture, you will be disqualified, your image removed and you will be banned for life from entering the competition.
8. No Pets, domestic, farm or captive animals please! Sorry, I know your hound is hilarious but this is a wildlife photography competition and that means no domestic animals and no animals that live in zoos or other captive environments.
9. No digital manipulation, including any AI editing. You can of course, make basic digital corrections (including tone and contrast, burning, dodging, cropping, sharpening, noise reduction and minor cleaning work) but DO NOT ALTER THE INTEGRITY OF THE IMAGE. If you reach the finals, we will ask for the original image, images taken immediately before and after your entry to prove you were there and the RAW/NEF file. In addition, you may be asked to sign a declaration document confirming that the image was created by you and not AI. We have the finest team of digital detectives on the planet to make sure every image is verified. These guys are serious pixel Sherlocks, so pay attention, no cheating!
10. We reserve the right to disqualify any entry which we consider doesn’t comply with any of these terms and conditions, or otherwise to be contrary to the spirit or intention of the competition.
11. In addition to receiving a splendid trophy for the mantelpiece and the kudos of being named as Winner of the 2026 Comedy Wildlife Photographer Award, the lucky overall winner will receive a one week photographic safari holiday in Kenya consisting of a 6 night safari for 2 people sharing, at Serian “The Original” and/or Nkorombo. Please note that international flights are not included in your amazing prize. These terms and conditions also apply to your companion. Your safari will include full board accommodation at Serian Camps in the Mara, plus full bar, daily laundry, sundowners, guided walks, a night at the tree house (without vacating your tent), game drives, exclusive use of your own vehicle with guide, and transfers to and from the local airstrip. With your own vehicle and guide Serian is able to be completely flexible about how you spend your days. We are covering the Winner’s internal flight and their park fees. Please note there are some small restrictions and exclusions, I know, I know, but don’t panic. The exclusions is the internal flight from nairobi to the Masai Mara and the park fees of your friend / spouse / family member who accompanies you and also any accommodation in Nairobi you might require due to flight timings. Also the other restriction is this holiday is booked according to the availability of the supplier of the safari, in this case Serian Camps and finally, and I am sorry to say, this Winners Safari is non-transferable, so you have to take the safari you can’t give it to someone else, or sell it, bad luck. Prizewinners and their travelling companions must comply with the terms and limitations of airlines, other transport providers, and the venues involved in the provision of the safari prize, including any insurance policy relating to the holiday. In particular, entrants must comply with all health and safety guidelines and instructions and all applicable legal and regulatory requirements. The prize does not include non-scheduled activities, gratuities, items of a personal nature and personal medical or travel insurance. Once notified to the travel agent, the travel dates cannot be changed, and you will need to ensure you and the lucky person travelling with you are available to travel and hold valid passports, any necessary visas and travel documents for the holiday on those dates. You will also need to get yourselves to and from the departure airport at your own expense. Please bring any other equipment you want, and enough spending money, and be sure to arrange adequate travel insurance for both of you and all your kit. You will be responsible for any other incidental costs not mentioned above. Please note there is no cash alternative, but we reserve the right to replace any prize with an alternative prize of equal or higher value if circumstances beyond our control make this necessary. We accept no responsibility if you are unable to take up the prize for any reason, which is one reason your travel insurance is important. If your image has been successfully passed into the final round, we will send you an email by October 2026 to the email address you provided in the online entry form to inform you of this. We will likewise send an email, or call you on or by November 2026 to inform you if you have won the prize. We accept no responsibility if these emails do not reach your inbox on time or at all for any reason. You agree that, if you are the prize winner, we may publish your name, image and town or county of residence when announcing the winner of the competition and for any other reasonable and related promotional purposes. These details will be made available to the press and may be published on our website from November 2026. The prizewinner will receive their prizes at an awards ceremony in London also in December 2026 (unless circumstances change and prevent us from holding the awards night), which all the Finalists will be invited to attend (at their own expense). You also agree to participate at our expense in any reasonable publicity we may require to promote the competition.
12. The prize must be claimed within 30 days of our notification of winning. We reserve the right to award the prize, if unclaimed after this period, to an alternative prizewinner or not to award it at all and we shall have no liability in respect of the entry initially selected.
13. As mentioned in paragraph 6 above, you must be the copyright owner of the image(s) you enter. By entering the competition, you agree that we and our sponsors and conservation partner, may (but do not have to) reproduce and publish the image(s) for all purposes/in all media related to the promotion of the competition including, but not limited to: at the Awards event, in a book(s) websites, social media, magazine and newspaper articles, exhibitions, brochures, calendars, cards, stickers and flyers. We will not license your image(s) for uses not promoting the CWPA unless you have signed a separate agreement with us authorising us to license your work for such purposes subject to a percentage of the proceeds being paid to you. We will endeavour to credit you, and ask others to credit you, wherever customary and possible but we cannot be held liable if for any reason credit is not given. You retain all rights to your images. By entering the competition, you agree that any personal information provided by you with the competition entry may be held and used by us and our agents and suppliers as specified in these rules, and generally to administer the competition. We will not use it for anything else unless you have consented to our doing so by ticking the relevant box on the online entry form.
14. Except as specifically set out in these terms and conditions and to the maximum extent permitted by law, all conditions, warranties and representations expressed or implied by law are hereby excluded. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we hereby exclude and shall not have any liability to any entrant or prizewinner in connection with or arising out of the CWPA howsoever caused, including for any costs, expenses, forfeited prize, damages and other liabilities, provided that nothing in these terms and conditions shall operate so as to limit or exclude our liability for personal injury or death caused by our negligence. For the avoidance of doubt, this paragraph shall also apply in respect of the provider of the safari prize and to any social networking site which may host the CWPA. Where the CWPA is hosted by a social networking site, the CWPA is in no way sponsored, endorsed, administered by or associated with that social networking site. By entering the CWPA, the entrant indemnifies us against any and all actions, claims, damages, expenses or liabilities suffered or incurred directly or indirectly by us in consequence of any breach, non-performance or non-observation by the entrant of any agreement, condition, obligation or warranty on the part of the entrant in these terms and conditions.
15. Any tax payable as a result of a prize being awarded or received will be the responsibility of the winner. Winners should seek independent financial advice prior to accepting the prize if this is a concern.
16. This is an international competition but we have to be governed by someone’s laws, so we have chosen to have the CWPA governed by the laws of England. Any disputes which may but of course, hopefully will not arise will be sorted out exclusively by the courts of England.
17. We reserve the right to suspend, cancel, or amend the competition for any reason, but only if this is absolutely necessary.
18. You must think ‘Can’t You Hear Me Knocking’ by The Rolling Stones one of the most memorable tracks ever produced, known for its distinctive Latin vibe. And you MUST listen right to the end – it’s the law. Then email Tom and tell him. He’d like that.
19. You must absolutely and unequivocally and with great haste rush and like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram and Twitter and watch our TEDtalk – Go on, it is really, actually pretty sensational!
20. You must absolutely follow Paul @pj_hicks on Instagram (Seriously, do we really have to write that? But some of his pics are really inspirational.) Alternatively follow @SullamPhoto, who we all know is possibly, maybe really quite good.
