The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards, “the funniest and most popular photography competition in the world,” according to the award organizers, “has reached its conclusion and is proud to announce the overall and category winners” for this year.

Chosen from 5,300 entries from 85 countries, the image below by photographer Jason Moore of a female Western Grey Kangaroo practicing its air guitar was voted the funniest photo of the 2023 Comedy Wildlife Awards.

The overall winning image, entitled ‘Air Guitar Roo’, shows the little roo intent on practicing her musical technique in a field abundant with wildflowers in the outer suburbs of Perth, Australia.

“Not many people know that kangaroo are normally fairly docile and even a bit boring most of the time, if I’m honest,” Moore explained. “However, when I saw this roo striking the air guitar pose, it immediately brought a smile to my face and I knew that I had captured something special.”

The shot also won the Creatures of the Land category.

Moore wins a safari in the Masai Mara, Kenya, with AlexWalker’s Serian and a handmade trophy from the Wonder Workshop in Tanzania.

The Comedy Wildlife popular competition, which also organizes the Comedy Pet Photography Awards, was founded in 2015 by Paul Joynson-Hicks and Tom Sullam, both professional photographers and passionate conservationists intent on creating “a refreshing, fun and free-to-enter photography competition unlike any other, showcasing seriously funny images of the earth’s most amazing wildlife.”

Celebrating the hilarity of our natural world and highlighting what we need to do to protect it, the contest is open to novices, amateur and professional photographers.

This year, the award is championing the work of the Whitley Fund for Nature, a British charity that supports conservation leaders working in their home countries across the global south.

For more than 30 years, the fund has channelled £20 million to more than 200 conservationists in 80 countries.

The announcement includes the winners and highly commended images in six categories.

The winning image “encapsulates a proper ‘happy vibe and feel-good factor’ – the very essence of what Comedy Wildlife is all about,” the judges said.

Creatures of the air

Vittorio Ricci won the Creatures of the Air Award for ‘Unexpected Plunge’. her photo of a striated heron ironically falling out of the sky and into the water.

An unusual and almost miserable end of a perfect moment, previously prepared, for a successful fishing plunge.

A puffin does an inverted snoopy impression while watching jelly fish.

This is a white grouse – not a snowball – in a very cold winter.

A white-winged dove appears to fly head-on into a cholla cactus skeleton.

As one had just returned to the nest, the Northern Gannets greeted each other with normal beak rubbing. Then, they stopped and looked over and at that moment this image was captured. They seem very proud of their progeny.

With this image of two greenfinches called ‘Dispute’, young photographer Jacek Stankiewicz won not only the JuniorAward but also the Affinity Photo People’s Choice Award – the first time that the award has been won by a junior entry.

“I caught this scene while watching birds in the Bialowieza Forest. The young greenfinch was still fed by parents. However, from time to time the birds looked like they were having an argument.

Either the young naughty kid is arguing with a parent or one kid is reporting to the parent that its brother did something wrong, like: “Look, he broke a window!”

Creatures of the land

These image a charming Ballerina Otter taken in Singapore topped the Underwater category.

While the photographer was working deep in the Virginian woods, a family of grey foxes took up residence under the deck of the abandoned cottage next door. “One day while practicing their hunting skills on bits of moss and branches, one of the kits lunged at a small chunk of wood and started rolling around with his prize,” Vaccaro recalled. “Tired after his hunt, the kit lounged on his belly — still holding the wood, which gave the strong resemblance of a cigar.”

The image was taken at Westerfolds Park, a beautiful and surprisingly wild pocket of land in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, famous for its kangaroo population. The mom was enjoying some morning sunshine when this joey decided to get silly and try his hand at boxing.

This picture was taken in the monkey forest in Ubud, Bali, a place where monkeys are king. Sometimes they give a show; sometimes they climb on visitorrs to look for fleas or steal a piece of biscuit. This one poses like a dandy for the photo.

These two photos are part of a series that won the Portfolio category.

The ground squirrel jumped as if he could fly.

Unfortunately, he lacks wings. To his surprise he fell back to the ground.

The swamp turtle is surprised and smiles when a dragonfly lands on its nose.