It’s time again for one of Upworthy’s longest-running traditions: announcing the Nikon Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards finalists.

The 2026 competition received over 10,000 entries from 112 countries and has been narrowed to 40 finalists, including a laughing hare, a “sexy” mantis, and a very angry goldcrest. The photographers are competing for the top prize—a once-in-a-lifetime safari with Alex Walker’s Serian in the Masai Mara. Other prizes include Nikon Z6III and Nikon Z50II cameras.

“The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards started very gently, somewhere out on the vast plains of the Serengeti. What began as a small effort to raise awareness of wildlife conservation has grown into something far bigger than we ever imagined,” Tom Sullam, the competition co-founder, said in a statement.

“The competition is now truly global, and a decade or so on, we want to make it even bigger, funnier, and more far-reaching than ever. We use humour to get people to feel empathy towards wildlife, and it’s that empathy that creates behavioural change for the better,” he continued.

Over the next few weeks, judges will review the photos and do their research to determine the winners, who will be announced on December 8 at an Awards Night in London.

Here are Upworthy’s top 17 favorite entries in the Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards.

You can see all 40 finalists here.

1. “Doris with her hat” (water buffalo) by Andy Rouse, U.K.

“When this water buffalo lifted her head, it looked like she had a fancy bonnet on, so we called her Doris!”

2. “Oops – I think I just parped” (brown hare) by Carolyn Moore, U.K.

“In the spring of this year, I went with a friend to a spot that we knew had a healthy population of hares… Sure enough, there were a few hares in the field, and the grass was long enough to give them some cover........

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