The Nikon Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards has announced the highly anticipated results of its tenth annual contest. On December 10, the competition unveiled an overall winner, nine category winners and ten highly commended entries in an entertaining gallery. Having garnered 9,000 submissions, 2024 marks the most competitive year yet of the self-described funniest and most popular photography competition in the world.The contest was founded in 2015 by photographers and conservationists Paul Joynson-Hicks and Tom Sullam with the aim of organizing a refreshing, fun and free photography competition unlike any other to raise awareness about conservation, according to a statement emailed to Smithsonian magazine.Issues of wildlife conservation and sustainability are gaining momentum globally, yet the messages and images tend to be negative, depressing and enervating, Joynson-Hicks says on the contests website.Instead, the page continues, this comedic competition accesses our empathy by showing how alike we really are. You dont need to cover your eyes or look away. We want our viewers to share our enjoyment of nature and take the time to recognize its value.In that spirit, photographers of all levels and ages are invited to send in submissions.This years competition received a record number of entries, each one a testament to the power of photography in evoking emotion, Stefan Maier, senior general manager of marketing at Nikon Europe, says in the statement. We look forward to continuing to inspire the next generation of wildlife photographers through these wonderful awards.Without further ado, here are this years winners: Overall winner: "Stuck Squirrel" byMilko Marchetti Milko Marchetti / Nikon Comedy WildlifeMilko Marchetti from Italy was crowned the overall winner for his photograph called Stuck Squirrel, earning him the title of Nikon Comedy Wildlife Photographer of the Year. The five finalists were all within a few points of each other, according to the statement, but Marchettis image was popular across the board with the judges, and ultimately took first place.I have taken many, many photographs of squirrels in many situations over the years in Italy, but this one struck me as really funny and such a strange position, because it is that exact moment when the squirrel is detaching its back legs from the trunk to enter its hide, Marchetti explains in the statement. Whenever I show this image at the nature seminars at my local photography club, the audience always explode with raucous laughter, so I had to enter it!Marchetti captured the photograph on April 23, 2022, in a park frequented by a few red squirrels. He clicked the shutter at just the right time to make the animal look stuck, only partially in the tree.The photograph brilliantly captures the playful and unpredictable moments that make nature so enchanting, Maier says in the statement. As the overall winner, Marchetti will receive a Kenyan safari, a handmade trophy from Tanzania and a photography bag. Insect category winner: "Mantis Flamenca" byJose Miguel Gallego Molina Jose Miguel Gallego Molina / Nikon Comedy WildlifeJose Miguel Gallego Molina from Spain won the insect category with his image called Mantis Flamenca.On my way back from my photo walk in a swamp near my town (Pantano el Sitjar), I suddenly stopped my car on the road when I saw someone ordering me to stop. This was when I saw my friend the Flemish Mantis for the first time, he recounts. You can imagine the faces of the other cars passing by, seeing a car with the indicators on and the door open, stopped on the roadside and a madman lying on the ground with his camera in his hand. Nikon young photographer category winner: "Awkward smiley frog" by Kingston Tam Kingston Tam / Nikon Comedy WildlifeKingston Tam from Australia won the Nikon Young Photographer Award, a category for photographers 25 years old or younger, with his picture titled Awkward smiley frog. He says he developed a passion for herping several years ago, or looking for reptiles and amphibians.My goal for my images is to bring attention to our scaly or moist friends, showing that not only fluffy animals can be cute and beautiful, Tam adds. Ultimately, I wish my work could bring more conservation awareness to these amazing reptiles and amphibians, and thats been my motivation to keep doing what Im doing. Nikon junior photographer category winner: "Smooching Owlets" bySarthak Ranganadhan Sarthak Ranganadhan / Nikon Comedy WildlifeSarthak Ranganadhan from India took home 2024s Nikon junior category for 16-year-olds and under, with Smooching owlets.Our parents always find a way to embarrass us, explains Ranganadhan, who is 16 years old. I guess thats also true in the case of spotted owlets.It was truly a funny sight to see two owlets trying to get some privacy as their little offspring stood next to them with a grin shut eyes, Ranganadhan adds. However, he was not the youngest winner in this years competition.That distinction goes to 10-year-old Flynn Thaitanunde-Lobb from England, who isnt just this years youngest winner, but the youngest category winner in the competitions history. He took home the top prize in the portfolio category with a series of four images featuring a squirrel playing with a stick. Describing the creatures apparent action in each shot, he named the portfolio Dancing to the Music, Rock Guitar, Roly Poly, Weight Lifting. / An image from the portfolio category winner, Flynn Thaitanunde-Lobb's "Dancing to the Music, Rock Guitar, Roly Poly, Weight Lifting." Flynn Thaitanunde-Lobb / Nikon Comedy Wildlife / An image from the portfolio category winner, Flynn Thaitanunde-Lobb's "Dancing to the Music, Rock Guitar, Roly Poly, Weight Lifting." Flynn Thaitanunde-Lobb / Nikon Comedy Wildlife / An image from the portfolio category winner, Flynn Thaitanunde-Lobb's "Dancing to the Music, Rock Guitar, Roly Poly, Weight Lifting." Flynn Thaitanunde-Lobb / Nikon Comedy Wildlife / An image from the portfolio category winner, Flynn Thaitanunde-Lobb's "Dancing to the Music, Rock Guitar, Roly Poly, Weight Lifting." Flynn Thaitanunde-Lobb / Nikon Comedy WildlifeThe judges gave the video category to Kevin Lohman from the United States for his aptly named Fox with the zoomies! clip, which captures a red fox rolling around on a cold morning.I had been watching this fox walking slowly across the grass when it suddenly got the zoomies like my dog does after its bath. It started rolling around on the ice-covered grass, then sliding, then shaking it off like nothing happened, he says. Video category winner: "Fox with the zoomies" byKevin Lohman Kevin Lohman / Nikon Comedy WildlifeOther category winners include Eberhard Ehmke, who captured a frog with its head in a bubble to win the reptile category; Damyan Petkov, who won the bird category with a whiskered terns crash landing; Przemyslaw Jakubczyk, who won the fish and other aquatic animals category with a photo that seems to show a fish chasing an eagle; and Tapani Linnanmki, who won the peoples choice category with a white-tailed eagle ruffling its feathers. / Reptile category winner: Frog in a balloon byEberhard Ehmke Eberhard Ehmke / Nikon Comedy Wildlife / Bird category winner: Whiskered Tern crash on landing byDamyan Petkov Damyan Petkov / Nikon Comedy Wildlife / Fish and other aquatic animals category winner: Unexpected role swap byPrzemyslaw Jakubczyk Przemyslaw Jakubczyk / Nikon Comedy Wildlife / Peoples choice category winner: Shake ruffle rattle and roll" byTapani Linnanmki Tapani Linnanmki / Nikon Comedy WildlifeGet the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.Filed Under: Animals, Baby Animals, Birds, Conservation, Fish, Frogs, Insects, Nature, Nature Photography, Photographers, Photography, Squirrels, Weird Animals, wildlife