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A red squirrel appears to have wedged itself into a tree like a furry exclamation mark. That split-second pose earned Italian photographer Milko Marchetti the overall 2024 Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards win—but the squirrel isn’t stuck. It’s entering a hollow, and the awkward-looking moment is exactly what makes the photo so funny.
Why the winning squirrel looks stuck
In “Stuck Squirrel,” the squirrel’s hind legs are still braced outside the tree hollow while the rest of its body disappears inside. As it shifts its support to enter, the pose resembles a tiny animal-shaped cork. The photograph catches a moment that looks like a mishap; it does not show that the squirrel is trapped.
Marchetti said he chose the frame for the strange position that makes the squirrel seem stuck. The judges chose it as the overall winner, announced at a ceremony at London’s Oxo Tower on 10 December 2024. Nikon’s award report names Marchetti and the winning image.
A few more award-winning animal punchlines
The 2024 gallery ranges from birds caught in unusual poses to a mantis with a memorable title. The captions below keep the joke in view without pretending the animals are acting out human intentions.
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| Image | Photographer and recognition | What the frame invites you to see |
|---|---|---|
| “Whiskered Tern crash on landing” | Damyan Petkov, Bird category winner | A bird arriving with the comic energy of a very ungraceful landing. The title supplies the crash-landing joke; it does not establish an injury or what happened outside the frame. |
| “Mantis Flamenca” | Jose Miguel Gallego Molina, Insect category winner | A mantis whose pose calls to mind a flamenco dancer. The dance is a playful comparison, not a claim about the insect’s behavior. |
| “Smooching Owlets” | Sarthak Ranganadhan, Nikon Junior category winner (under 16) | Two young owls in a frame that looks like a sweet little greeting. |
| “Frog in a bubble” | Eberhard Ehmke, Reptile category winner | A frog framed in a way that makes the image look like a bubble-themed gag. The Wildlife Society captions it “Frog in a balloon”; Nikon uses “Frog in a bubble.” |
| “Unexpected Role Swap” | Przemyslaw Jakubczyk, Fish and other Aquatic Animals category winner | Nikon describes a bream chasing a bald eagle across the sky—a startling species pairing, not a typical ecological interaction. |
| “Shake, Rattle, Ruffle and Roll” | Tapani Linnanmäki, Affinity Photo 2 People’s Choice Award | A white-tailed eagle captured in a wonderfully ruffled moment. |
The category names and award titles come from Nikon’s 2024 results; The Wildlife Society also lists several winning images in its winner announcement.
The critters don’t stop at still photos
A fox with the zoomies
Kevin Lohman won the Video Award with “Fox with the zoomies.” The title captures the clip’s playful impression of a fox bursting with energy; Nikon identifies it as a fox video, without claiming a human-style reason for the animal’s movement.
A junior photographer’s rock-star squirrel
Ten-year-old Flynn Thaitanunde-Lobb won the portfolio category with four squirrel images: “Dancing to the Music,” “Rock guitar,” “Roly Poly,” and “Weight Lifting.” Together, the titles turn one small squirrel into a whole imaginary performer, athlete and all-around show-off.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.A big field of finalists, with humor in service of conservation
Nikon reported a record 9,000 entries in the competition’s tenth year and 45 finalists. PetaPixel said nearly 9,000 pictures came from photographers in 98 countries. The awards were founded in 2015 by Paul Joynson-Hicks and Tom Sullam; Nikon joined as a partner in 2024. Nikon’s overview of the awards describes humor as a way to build conservation awareness.
That purpose sits alongside the silliness, rather than replacing it. Judge Kate Humble said, “We want images that capture the public’s imagination and make everyone laugh,” adding that the winning image “absolutely epitomises that.” Nikon says 10% of competition profits are donated to the Whitley Fund for Nature’s Next Gen initiative. That is the organization’s stated contribution; it should not be confused with an independently audited measure of the awards’ conservation impact.
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