Feel-good finalists come in to land in the 2024 Comedy Wildlife Awards as a concluded 2024 competition: Milko Marchetti’s “Stuck squirrel” ultimately won overall, after the finalists were revealed September 26 and winners announced December 10. The event drew just under 9,000 entries from 98 countries and used comic timing to support conservation.
From a whiskered tern’s awkward landing to a fish apparently chasing an eagle, the shortlisted photographs found humor in visual accidents, unusual poses and split-second timing. The animals remained the subjects of wild behavior; the jokes came from what the camera captured and what the viewer briefly imagined.
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Key takeaways
- The 2024 Comedy Wildlife Awards received just under 9,000 entries from 98 countries.
- The 2024 shortlist contained 40 standalone images, four portfolio entries and three videos across nine categories.
- Milko Marchetti’s “Stuck squirrel” became the overall winner and mammal-category winner when results were announced on December 10, 2024.
- The apparently trapped squirrel was actually detaching its hind-leg support while entering an old woodpecker nest in Italy.
- The awards were founded in 2015 to combine wildlife photography with an accessible conservation message.
What happened to the 2024 Comedy Wildlife Awards finalists?
The 2024 Comedy Wildlife Awards finalists were announced on September 26, 2024, and the winners followed on December 10, 2024. The event is therefore a concluded awards cycle, not an active shortlist awaiting results. Milko Marchetti’s “Stuck squirrel” took the overall prize, while several other memorable finalists won individual categories.
The competition’s appeal lies in fleeting moments that make wild animals look as if they are acting out a joke. A squirrel appears wedged into a tree, a tern seems to crash-land, and a fish appears to chase an eagle across the sky. The humor comes from timing, framing and visual illusion—not from claiming that the animals understand the joke or were performing for the camera.
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How large was the 2024 competition?
The 2024 competition drew just under 9,000 entries from 98 countries. The announced selection included 40 standalone photographs, four portfolio entries and three videos, covering nine categories and subjects ranging from mammals and birds to reptiles, amphibians and insects. Countryfile’s finalist gallery and Discover Wildlife’s shortlist report document the breadth of the selection.
Public voting for the Affinity Photo People’s Choice Award ran until October 31, 2024. The competition announcement also mentioned a £500 prize draw connected with that public vote. The principal award prize was a one-week safari with Alex Walker’s Serian in Kenya’s Maasai Mara. These details belonged to the 2024 cycle and should not be read as current information about later competitions.
Which finalist became the overall winner?
“Stuck squirrel” by Milko Marchetti became the 2024 overall winner and the mammal-category winner. The photograph appears to show a red squirrel trapped halfway inside a tree cavity, but Marchetti explained that the animal was detaching the support from its hind leg as it entered an old woodpecker nest in a cut tree at Podere Pantaleone park in Bagnacavallo, Ravenna, Italy. The squirrel was not shown to be in distress.
The reveal makes the photograph stronger. The first impression is a perfectly timed visual gag; the explanation restores the scene to ordinary wild behavior. Discover Wildlife’s report on the 2024 winners identifies Marchetti’s image and records the later result.
Which other finalist photographs stood out?
The strongest images shared the same basic trick: a brief, genuine-looking wildlife moment that invites a human reading while leaving room for a more careful interpretation.
| Photograph | Photographer | What the image appears to show | Later result |
|---|---|---|---|
| “Stuck squirrel” | Milko Marchetti | A red squirrel apparently wedged in a tree cavity | Overall winner and mammal winner |
| “Whiskered tern crash on landing” | Damyan Petkov | A whiskered tern arriving in an apparently chaotic landing | Bird-category winner |
| “Frog in a balloon” | Eberhard Ehmke | A frog framed in a surreal-looking scene | Reptile and amphibian winner |
| “Unexpected role swap” | Przemyslaw Jakubczyk | A fish apparently pursuing a bald eagle through the sky | Fish and other aquatic animals winner |
| “Smiling elephant seal” | Gabriel Rojo | An elephant seal that appears to be smiling | Finalist |
| “Mantis flamenca” | Jose Miguel Gallego Molina | A Flemish mantis posed in a way that suggests a flamenco dancer | Insect-category winner |
| “Smooching owlets” | Sarthak Ranganadhan | Two young owls appearing to kiss | Nikon Junior Photographer winner |
“Whiskered tern crash on landing”
Damyan Petkov’s photograph freezes a whiskered tern at the least graceful-looking point of its landing. The image later won the bird category, demonstrating how much of the competition’s humor depends on a fraction of a second rather than unusual animal behavior.
“Frog in a balloon”
Eberhard Ehmke’s finalist title and unusual framing make the frog appear to occupy a surreal scene. The verified description is the title and the visual impression; the photograph should not be described as proving that the frog was literally inside a balloon unless the original caption or entry metadata says so. The image later won the reptile and amphibian category.
“Unexpected role swap”
Przemyslaw Jakubczyk’s image depicts a fish apparently pursuing a bald eagle across the sky. The visual suggestion reverses the expected predator-and-prey relationship, although the comic “role swap” is an interpretation of the photograph rather than evidence that the animals were staging a performance. The image later won the fish and other aquatic animals category.
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“Smiling elephant seal”
Gabriel Rojo’s elephant seal appears to smile, which explains the finalist title and its immediate appeal. “Appears to smile” is the careful description: the photograph does not establish a human-like emotional state or prove that the seal felt amusement.
“Mantis flamenca”
Jose Miguel Gallego Molina’s Flemish mantis finalist earned its comic reading from the insect’s pose, which resembles a flamenco stance. The photograph later won the insect category, but the mantis was not shown to be performing for the camera.
“Smooching owlets”
Sarthak Ranganadhan’s image of two owlets appearing to kiss later won the Nikon Junior Photographer category. The result adds a useful dimension to the awards: the competition’s memorable work is not limited to established professional photographers.
What other images were shortlisted?
The broader finalist selection included “Saying my prayers” by Christine Haines, “Laughing out loud” by Ingo Hamann, “Where do you think you are going?” by Jörn Clausen, “Peek-a-boo” by Alexander Fine, “I am coming!” by Inés Godínez, “The Pavarotti of owls” by Fred Amico, “Cold shower” by Corentin Revel, “Monday morning” by Christopher Arnold, “The contemplative chimpanzee” by Arvind Mohandas, “Otter guru” by Charles Janson and “Hello world!” by Alex Pansier.
Other reported finalist titles included “Song of the Zeisel” by Kath Aggiss, “I’ll tell you a secret” by Jan Piecha, “I’m too sexy for my love” by Artur Stankiewicz, “England cricket’s latest secret weapon” and “Alright mate, back off, this is my bird” by Andy Rouse, “In love” and “Holding on for a ride” by Alexander Fine, “Time to cool off” by Zikri Teo, “Parrotfish loves to be washed” by Wim Bellemans, and “Shake, ruffle, rattle and roll” by Tapani Linnanmäki. Discover Wildlife’s published finalist list provides the source for these additional titles.
The list also included “Mafia boss” by Takashi Kubo, “Nagging is a Universal Concept” by Scott Frier, “Wait, which Zebra is in front?” by Sarosh Lodhi, “The rock star” by Sanjay Patil, “Gang of four” by Ralph Robinson, “Easy fellas” by Philippe Ricordel, “Gecko fashion model” by Michela Bordoli, “The speed skater” by Mark Meth Cohn, and “Hide and seek” by Leslie McLeod.
Why do the Comedy Wildlife Awards connect humor with conservation?
The awards use laughter as an entry point to conservation. Wildlife and sustainability stories can feel relentlessly bleak, while a funny photograph can attract attention first and create a less intimidating route into questions about animals, habitats and the people protecting them.
Paul Joynson-Hicks and Tom Sullam founded the awards in 2015 with the stated aim of combining strong wildlife photography and humor to promote conservation of wildlife and habitats. The 2024 conservation partner was the Whitley Fund for Nature, a UK charity that supports conservation leaders working in their home countries across the Global South. The 2024 finalist announcement said that WFN had channelled £20 million to more than 200 conservationists in 90 countries over more than 30 years. Forbes’ report on the 2024 finalist announcement describes the competition’s conservation positioning and partnership.
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The sources establish the awards’ mission and conservation relationship, but they do not establish an independently measured conservation-impact figure attributable to the photographs. The honest claim is narrower and more useful: the competition deliberately uses accessible humor to broaden engagement with wildlife conservation.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What should publishers know before using the finalist images?
Photographer credits and finalist titles should be reproduced exactly as supplied by the competition or a reputable gallery. A gallery page identifies the photographer and image, but it does not automatically grant permission to download or republish the photograph. Editors should obtain images through the competition’s press or licensing channels and confirm the applicable rights before publication.
Captions should also preserve the distinction between visual impression and biological fact. “Appears to be smiling,” “seems to crash-land” and “looks as if it is stuck” describe what viewers see. Those phrases should not become claims that an animal felt a human emotion, was genuinely trapped, or was posed, trained or manipulated.
Frequently Asked Questions
When were the 2024 Comedy Wildlife Awards finalists announced?
The 2024 Comedy Wildlife Awards finalists were revealed on September 26, 2024, and the winners were announced on December 10, 2024. The 2024 competition is concluded.
Who won the 2024 Comedy Wildlife Awards overall prize?
Milko Marchetti’s “Stuck squirrel” won the 2024 overall award and the mammal category. The squirrel was not genuinely trapped; the photographer explained that it was detaching its hind-leg support while entering an old woodpecker nest.
Which conservation organisation supported the 2024 Comedy Wildlife Awards?
The 2024 Comedy Wildlife Awards partnered with the Whitley Fund for Nature, a UK charity supporting conservation leaders working in their home countries across the Global South.
The Bottom Line
The 2024 Comedy Wildlife Awards finalists offered comic snapshots rather than staged animal comedy, and the final result is already known: Milko Marchetti’s apparently stuck—but actually entering—a tree cavity squirrel won overall. The laughter was the invitation; the competition’s stated destination was greater interest in wildlife and habitat conservation.
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