More than 7,500 photographs were submitted to the 2020 edition of The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards, the funniest and most popular photography contest in the world.
After a complicated selection, we already know this year's winner: Mark Fitzpatrick, for his incredible snapshot Terry the Turtle flipping the bird (Terry the turtle showing his middle finger).
The snapshot, clear favorite among the judges, It was taken when Fitzpatrick was swimming among turtles on Lady Elliot Island (Queensland, Australia).
Mark managed to catch the moment when the turtle Terry is removing the flipper from him while he swims towards the camera , making it look like he is giving Mark the middle finger.
'Terry the Turtle'
THE TERRY TORTOISE: ABSOLUTE WINNER
“I am excited and honored to be awarded the 2020 Comedy Wildlife Photographer of the Year award. It's been amazing to see the reaction to my photo of Terry the Turtle flipping the bird, with Terry making people laugh in what has been a difficult year for many, as well as helping spread an important conservation message,” says Mark Fitzpatrick.
“Hopefully, Terry can encourage more people to take a moment and think about how much our incredible wildlife depends on us and what we can do to help them. This award is sure to put Terry in a better mood the next time he sees him on Lady Elliot Island,” says Mark.
As Comedy Wildlife Photographer of the Year, Mark has won an incredible safari in Masai Mara, Kenya, with Alex Walker's Serian; a unique handmade trophy from Wonder Workshop in Tanzania; a THINK TANK photography bag and a new NIKON camera.
O Sole Mio!
LET'S TAKE CARE OF OUR WILDLIFE!
A few weeks ago, the 44 finalist photographs of this contest founded by Paul Joynson-Hicks and Tom Sullam, both professional photographers and passionate conservationists.
The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards showcase hilarious images of the most amazing wildlife on earth and it is a global, online and free competition.
In addition to bringing a little joy and good humor, the contest aims to highlight the extremely important message of wildlife conservation in an engaging and positive way , working with the competition's main partner, the Born Free Foundation.
The Affinity Photo People's Choice Award, voted for by the public, went to Roland Kranitz, for his lovely photo of a singing Spermophilus (a genus of rodent) taken in Hungary titled O Sole Mio!
'Almost time to get up'
The Animals of the Land Category Award went to Charlie Davidson with Almost Time to Get Up , showing the back of a raccoon apparently stuck at the entrance to his nest in a hollow tree trunk.
Tim Hearn, with his Hide and Seek photo of a blue damselfly hidden behind a plant, it won the Spectrum Photo Creatures of the Air Category Award.
Hide and Seek
daisy gilardini received the Amazing Internet Portfolio Award for Deadly Fart, a series of four wonderful images showing a playful grizzly bear having fun in Alaska.
This year, the winner of the video category award went to Dipali Shah, whose amazing clip of a giraffe scratching its back from inside a bush topped this category.
Deadly Far
The young Olin Rogers triumphed in the Think Tank Photo Junior category, with his shot of two lion cubs playing in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe, titled I've got you this time.
In addition to the category winners, there were 10 entries that were recognized as Highly Commended Winners: Arturo Telle Thiemann, Thomas Vijayan, Krisztina Scheeff, Megan Lorenz, Ayala Fishaimer, Sally Lloyd-Jones, Luis Bergueño, Sue Hollis, Petr Sochman, and Yevhen Samuchenko.
I've got you this time