You may associate Artnet News with Jeff Koons and Takashi Murakami. But today, dear reader, we bring you something altogether deeper and more joyful: racoons and turtles.
That’s because starting this week, you can submit your work to the 2021 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards, which celebrates the best there is in animal humor.
To mark the occasion and get the ball rolling, the organizers of the awards have shared some never-before-seen pictures from last year’s pool of finalists. We’ve got lazy lions, a pair of bears doing the macarena, and the cutest damn gorilla you’ll ever lay eyes on.
This year’s contest is open now through June 31, and submissions can be sent through the Comedy Wildlife website. The winner will be awarded a safari trip to Kenya, a trophy, and the title of 2021 Comedy Wildlife Photographer of the Year.
© Diana Rebman. Courtesy of the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2020.
Previous contests have yielded some truly meme-orable shots, many of which you’ve probably seen shared by Boomer relatives on Facebook.
Last year’s winning photograph was an underwater shot of a badass turtle flipping a bird to all the haters. The picture, shot by photographer Mark Fitzpatrick, also took home the Creatures Under the Sea Award.
Other winners included a crooning chipmunk, which took home the People’s Choice Award; a damselfly who waking up from a nap, which won the Creatures in the Air Award; and a bear cub simply devastated by the smell of his own flatulence, which was awarded the Amazing Internet Portfolio Award.
Other nominees last year included photos of a hungover penguin, an embarrassed polar bear, and a bird that looks like he’s trying to recruit you into the Army for WWI (you could say he’s hawkish in both senses of the word).
© Mike Lessel. Courtesy of the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2020.
Now look, we’ve had a lot of fun here, what with all this punning and sexy ape talk. But you know what’s not fun? Global warming.
The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards were founded in 2015 by photographers Paul Joynson-Hicks and Tom Sullam to raise conservation awareness. The organization they founded uses its platform to encourage sustainable living practices we can all adhere to, including using bars of soap instead of gels, turning off electrical appliances, and eating less meat.
See more highlights from last year’s contest below.
© Arthur Telle Thiemann. Courtesy of the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2020.
© Krànitz Roland. Courtesy of the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2020.
© Charlie Davidson. Courtesy of the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2020.
© Tyler Kern. Courtesy of the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2020.
© Tim Hearn. Courtesy of the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2020.
© Jackie Downey. Courtesy of the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2020.