See the Finalists of the 2024 Comedy Wildlife Awards — from an Otter 'Guru' to a Squirrel Stuck Headfirst in a Tree

The free competition for novice, amateur and professional wildlife photographers celebrates "the hilarity of the natural world"

The animal kingdom's newest comedic stars have been unveiled!

On Thursday, Sept. 26, the finalists of the 2024 Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards photography competition were announced, and the list includes a delightful mix of mammals, birds, reptiles, fish and amphibians showing off their funny sides in nature.

The Comedy Wildlife team — led by co-founders Paul Joynson-Hicks and Tom Sullam — narrowed down the nearly 9,000 submissions to 40 standalone photos, four portfolio entries and three videos.

"This shortlist of entries shows some of the most spectacular photos ever entered, catching wildlife’s funniest moments on camera," they said in a press release.

"They are a cracking collection of amazing, jaw-dropping and laugh-out-loud photos of some of the most incredible wildlife that we share this planet with," they added.

The free competition, first launched in 2015, is open to all wildlife photography novices, amateurs and professionals and "celebrates the hilarity of our natural world."

Related: Silly Bears and Odd Birds Among the 2023 Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards Finalists — See the Shots

This year's finalists include a smiling elephant seal, an otter holding its feet up in the pose of "a guru," a "contemplative" chimpanzee, a cheetah playing hide-and-seek and a squirrel stuck headfirst in the knot hole of a tree. Other images capture a raccoon appearing to whisper in a fellow raccoon's ear, a fish chasing an eagle across the sky and a frog whose head is enveloped by a large bubble in the water.

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Animal lovers are invited to vote for their favorite image for the Affinity People's Choice Award. Votes can be submitted on the competition's website through Oct. 31. The winner will receive a cash prize of £500 (about $670), courtesy of Affinity Photo, a professional photo-editing software.

All winners of the competition will be announced at an awards ceremony in London on Dec. 10, with the top image winning a one-week safari with Alex Walker's Serian in the Masai Mara, Kenya. The event will be followed by a one-week exhibition showcasing all of the 2024 award finalists at the Gallery@Oxo in London from Dec. 10-16.

This year's photography competition will benefit the U.K. wildlife conservation organization Whitley Fund for Nature, which has channeled £23 million (more than $30 million) in funds and grants to 200 conservation leaders in 80 countries since its inception in 1993.

Related: Zookeepers Share Their Favorite 'Behind the Scenes' Animal Photos: 'They Are All Fantastic'

According to its website, the competition was created with the goal of broadening "understanding and engagement of a sustainable world — and wildlife conservation specifically — for the preservation of biodiversity and the health and enrichment of everyone on Earth."

"We want to educate and enlighten, and we want to do this by earning people’s attention by showing them things they don't expect," the website added.

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