An image of a high-fiving gorilla has taken the comedic crown at the Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards 2025. The photograph of the great ape, dubbed ‘High Five’, depicts a young male high-kicking his way across the Virunga Mountains landscape (Ministry of Silly Walks, anyone?).
Mark Meth Cohn was on hand to immortalize the moment, which has been picked as the overall winner and landed the UK wildlife photographer a safari experience in Kenya’s Maasai Mara, as well as a handmade trophy made by Tanzania-based Wonder Workshop, and a Think Tank camera bag.
According to Mark: “The Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards are one of the major competitions of the year, easy to enter and fun but with a seriously committed underlying ethos and, after reaching the finals last year, I’m absolutely delighted to have gone one step further and win the competition this year”. Remarkably, the photographer actually placed twice, earning a highly commended spot with ‘Aaaaawa – mum’, a photo of a wincing baby gorilla being kissed by its mother.
Three Category Winners have also been announced. UK photographer Warren Price’s guffaw-inducing image of a guillemot peeping through its partner’s bill, fittingly entitled ‘Headlock’, won the Think Tank Birds Award. A beaming underwater photo of a bluestriped fangblenny entitled ‘Smiley’ earned the UK’s Jenny Stock the Fish and Other Aquatic Species Award.
USA photographer Grayson Bell swiped both the Reptiles, Amphibian and Insect Award, and Nikon Junior Category (Under 16) Award, for an outstanding photograph of a frog seemingly about to dunk another frog into a pool of water, rather humorously dubbed ‘Baptism of the Unwilling Convert’.
Germany’s Paula Rustemeier won the Nikon Young Photographer Category (Under 25) with a charming photo called ‘Hit the dance floor – foxes in a breakdance battle’, depicting a trio of playful foxes appearing to dance on a sandy dune.
The Amazing Internet Portfolio Award went to the USA’s Maggie Hoffman, for a hilarious series of four images entitled ‘Digging for Gold’, showing a female chimpanzee picking her nose and (you guessed it) chowing down on the spoils! Germany’s Tatjana Epp was also named Video Category Winner with her video, ‘Surfing Heron’, of a heron skimming its way across a body of water.
Ten photographers, including the aforementioned Mark Meth Cohn, received Highly Commended honors: Alison Tuck (UK), Annette Kirby (Australia), Christy Grinton (Canada), Bret Saalwaechter (USA), Erkko Badermann (Finland), Kalin Botev (Bulgaria), Liliana Luca (Italy), Meline Ellwanger (USA), and Valtteri Mulkahainen (Finland).
Author: Mike Harris
Source: DigitalCameraWorld
Reviewed By: Editorial Team
