Nikon has announced the winners of the Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards! Italian photographers Milko Marchetti has been announced as the winner of the free competition with his image, which appears to show a red squirrel ‘stuck’ in a small hole in a tree trunk.
Open to wildlife photography novices, amateurs and professionals, the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards celebrates the hilarity of our natural world and highlights what we need to do to protect it. An exhibition including the winners and finalists will be on show for one week at Gallery@Oxo, from 11th-17th December 2024.
Overall Winner: Stuck Squirrel by Milko Marchetti
“The photo was taken on April 23, 2022, in the “Podere Pantaleone” park in Bagnacavallo – Ravenna – Italy. It is a park open to the public and schools, but from October to March, it is closed to visitors, and I am allowed (in exchange for photographs for educational and promotional purposes) to use a fixed photographic hide to photograph passerines, woodpeckers, hawks, and even 3-4 squirrels that come to visit the photographic set consisting of a small lake, and the surrounding vegetation.
Generally, in Italy, especially in the area where I live, in the Po Delta Regional Park, it is very difficult to see and photograph squirrels (they are very rare) but here in the park they are quite confident. A few meters from the hide, an old cut tree has a hole (an old woodpecker’s nest), and here the squirrels (two years ago there were 4 specimens) sometimes come out of curiosity to check out the old hollow tree.
I have taken several photos of squirrels in many situations, but the shot I choose to participate in the Nikon Comedy Wildlife immediately struck me for the strange position assumed by the squirrel that seems to be stuck halfway in the hole in the tree, but in reality it is the moment in which it is detaching the support on its hind legs and enters the hole.
This photo had an effect on me and made me smile a lot in that moment that I clicked the button, and during my evenings of slideshows and nature videos that I often hold at photography clubs and theaters, the audience always explodes in energetic laughter when I show this photo. I knew I had to enter it into the competition.”
Nikon Young Photographer Award (U25) Winner: Awkward smiley frog by Kingston Tam
“In 2022 I moved to Australia from Hong Kong to study wildlife science and my friends got me into ‘herping’ (looking for reptiles and amphibians in the wild) and through that, I met a bunch of amazing photographers who specialise in taking photos of these critters and I started doing it as well…
My goal for my images is to bring attention to our scaly or moist friends, showing that not only fluffy animals can be cute and beautiful. Ultimately, I wish my work could bring more conservation awareness to these amazing reptiles and amphibians, and that’s been my motivation to keep doing what I’m doing.
“This award is by far my biggest photography achievement yet. I never thought an accomplishment this scale would be achievable but I’m grateful that this photograph has been recognised by the judges and many others. This award would be a reminder to me that I should keep my passion up because someone out there appreciates my work and hopefully it can encourage people to show some love to not just the fluffy animals but also the slimy and scaly friends.”
From Nikon, London, United Kingdom, 10th December 2024: Nikon is thrilled to announce that Italian photographer, Milko Marchetti, has been crowned the winner of the Nikon Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2024, for his hilarious image Stuck Squirrel.
Stuck Squirrel is a brilliantly timed photograph capturing a red squirrel in a comically awkward pose, wedged in a tree with its legs at an improbable angle. Milko’s image stood out among a record-breaking 9,000 entries, the highest number in the Awards’ illustrious ten-year history. From this remarkable collection, approximately 45 of the very best images were shortlisted for the judging panel to select their favourites. The competition was as fierce as ever, with only a few points separating the top five entries, however Milko’s photograph emerged as a clear favourite among the judges.
As the overall winner of the competition, Milko Marchetti will enjoy an unforgettable safari experience in the Maasai Mara, Kenya, with Alex Walker’s Serian. He will also receive a stunning handmade trophy crafted by the Wonder Workshop in Tanzania and a premium photography bag from the renowned THINK TANK.
Milko Marchetti says ““Nature photography has been my passion, ever since I was a boy, and I’ve always put all my free time and energy into it. I think that nature offers so much beauty and variety, and with a camera, the photographer has this ability, this superpower to freeze a moment and make it last forever in the form of a photograph. The emotion I experience at the moment when I click the camera button is pure adrenaline, and my hope is
always to be able to convey at least one natural emotion through my photography. It seems it really worked this time!”
Stefan Maier, Nikon Europe Senior General Manager Marketing, says: “We are thrilled to celebrate Milko Marchetti’s outstanding achievement in the Nikon Comedy Photography Awards 2024. His image, ‘Stuck Squirrel,’ brilliantly captures the playful and unpredictable moments that make nature so enchanting. This year’s competition received a record number of entries, each one a testament to the power of photography in evoking emotion. We look forward to continuing to inspire the next generation of wildlife photographers through these wonderful awards.”
There were nine other category winners this year, with special recognition for the next generation of wildlife photographers. Kingston Tam from Australia won the Nikon Young Photographer Award (U25) with a delightful close-up of a frog smiling at the camera, and will receive a Nikon Z8 + 24-120mm kit as his prize. Further celebrating the photographers of tomorrow, Sarthak Ranganadhan triumphed in the Nikon Junior Category (U16) with his charming shot of smooching owlets, and will receive the brand new Z50II + 16-50mm kit as his prize.
This announcement is followed by a glorious, free exhibition for one week, taking place for one week only from the 11th-15th December, where Nikon will showcase the magnificent work of the 2024 Award Finalists at the Gallery@Oxo.
Nikon is committed to leading imaging culture and enables some of the world’s best visual artists to reach their creative potential through visual storytelling. Its award-winning photographic equipment empowers photographers and videographers to realise their creative vision at the highest level.
For more information visit www.nikon.co.uk
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