2024 Comedy Wildlife Photography award goes to ‘Stuck Squirrel’ photo

An image of a squirrel stuck in a tree has been crowned the overall winner of this year’s Nikon Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards.

The photograph, titled "Stuck Squirrel" by Milko Marchetti, triumphed over more than 9,000 entries, marking the highest number of submissions in the competition’s 10-year history.

The squirrel, pictured at a comical angle as it attempts to enter its hide in the trunk of a tree, was selected from a shortlist of 45 finalists. The judging panel also named winners across nine categories.

“I have taken many photographs of squirrels, in many situations, over the years in Italy, but this one struck me as really funny and such a strange position,” Marchetti said in a statement. “Whenever I show this image at nature seminars, the audience always explodes with raucous laughter, so I had to enter it!”

Stefan Maier, senior general manager of marketing at Nikon Europe, expressed excitement about the win, stating that Marchetti’s image “brilliantly captures the playful and unpredictable moments that make nature so enchanting.”

Other category winners included Kingston Tam, who received the Nikon Young Photographer Award for his close-up shot of a smiling frog, and 10-year-old Flynn Thaitanunde-Lobb, who became the youngest-ever category winner with his series of images featuring a rock-star squirrel.

In the video category, Kevin Lohman’s footage of a red fox having fun on a frosty morning took the top prize.

Last year’s overall winner was a photograph of a female western grey kangaroo striking an air guitar pose, taken by Australian photographer Jason Moore.