Squirrel’s Funny Moment Wins Top Prize in Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards

From Frogs to Squirrels: The Best Shots from the Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards

The Nikon Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards has crowned the hilarious image of a squirrel stuck in a tree as the overall winner for 2024. This year’s competition saw a record-breaking 9,000 entries, the highest in the competition’s 10-year history, with a frog in a bubble and a bream chasing a bald eagle among the category winners.

Captured by Milko Marchetti, the winning image, titled “Stuck Squirrel,” depicts a red squirrel in a remarkably awkward position. The squirrel is caught mid-action, its legs bent at right angles to the tree trunk as it attempts to enter its hide. Marchetti, who has photographed squirrels extensively in Italy, described this moment as “funny and strange”—the precise moment when the squirrel detaches its back legs to enter the tree. “Whenever I show this image at my local photography club, the audience always bursts into laughter, so I had to enter it!” Marchetti said.

Stefan Maier, senior general manager of marketing at Nikon Europe, expressed his excitement over Marchetti’s win, praising the image for its ability to capture the unpredictable and charming nature of wildlife.

The competition also saw several other standout winners. Kingston Tam took home the Nikon Young Photographer Award for his close-up of a smiling frog, while 10-year-old Flynn Thaitanunde-Lobb made history as the youngest-ever category winner with his “rock star squirrel” portfolio. The Video Category was claimed by Kevin Lohman for his footage of a red fox gleefully sprinting across the frosty grass.

Last year’s overall winner was Jason Moore’s photo of a female western gray kangaroo striking an air guitar pose in the wildflower fields of Perth, Australia.

The 2024 competition highlights the humor and unpredictability of nature, showcasing the amusing moments that photographers are lucky enough to capture in the wild.

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