The outcomes are in and the winner of this 12 months’s funniest wildlife photograph goes to Milko Marchetti for his very chuckle-worthy shot of a purple squirrel with its head firmly embedded in a tree. Marchetti’s shot was chosen as the general winner and winner of the Mammal class within the 2024 Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards – a contest that focuses on the lighter facet of animal images.
The successful shot was chosen from a pool of 9,000 photos – the very best variety of entries on document within the award’s ten-year historical past. The highest 45 or so photos have been scrutinised (and laughed over) by a bunch of skilled judges, with Marchetti’s photograph sneaking via as the last word winner in a hotly contested competitors.
“I’ve taken many, many images of squirrels, in lots of conditions over time in Italy,” Marchetti defined, “however this one struck me as actually humorous and such an odd place, as a result of it’s that precise second when the squirrel is detaching its again legs from the trunk to enter its cover. At any time when I present this picture on the nature seminars at my native images membership, the viewers at all times explode with raucous laughter, so I needed to enter it!”
Stefan Maier, Senior Normal Supervisor of Advertising and marketing at Nikon Europe, had this to say in regards to the successful shot: “We’re thrilled to rejoice Milko Marchetti’s excellent achievement within the Nikon Comedy Pictures Awards 2024. His picture, ‘Caught Squirrel,’ brilliantly captures the playful and unpredictable moments that make nature so enchanting.”
Based by skilled photographers Paul Joynson-Hicks and Tom Sullam, the competitors goals to encourage via comedy by showcasing the funnier facet of the pure world and elevating consciousness about conservation. “This 12 months’s competitors obtained a document variety of entries, every one a testomony to the facility of images in evoking emotion,” says Maier. “We sit up for persevering with to encourage the subsequent era of wildlife photographers via these great awards.”
Right here’s a style of among the different winners and Extremely Counseled photos:
