Cats butting heads take top prize in Comedy Pet Photo Awards

Header image: Comedy Pet Photo Awards Overall Winner. ‘Boom Boom’ by Kenichi Morinaga

An image of Japanese street cats has netted its photographer the title of Overall Winner in the Comedy Pet Photo Awards.

The image, taken by photographer Kenichi Morinaga, is titled ‘BOOM BOOM’. It depicts two cats atop a wooden fence pressing their faces so hard together that their heads have all but disappeared. The shot, which also won in the Cat category, triumphed over more than two thousand entries.

Kenichi Morinaga said that he spends much of his time touring the islands around Japan with his camera, and loves in particular taking shots of the street cats there. ‘They are so funny, even when they are doing something serious,’ he said. ‘This amazing competition reminded me that such gestures from all animals are recognised as being hilarious, cute, and heart-warming not only in Japan but all over the world.’ He regularly shares his shots on Instagram, under the handle @morikencatphoto.

Other category winners from the competition include Jose Bayon from Spain, who triumphed in the Dog category. Bayon won with an image of a rescue dog named Nilo excitedly frolicking in a garden. Marko Jovanovic from the USA won the People’s Choice public vote award for his image of a dog caught mid-dash through the snow.

Winner Kenichi Morinaga wins a £2,000 cash prize. He says he will use it to fund more cat-photographing expeditions to the islands of Japan. He has chosen The Cat Welfare Group to receive a £5,000 donation from competition sponsors Animal Friends Pet Insurance.

Co-founder of the Comedy Pet Photo Awards Tom Sullam said, ‘We’re so chuffed to see such a funny selection of winners this year from all over the world. And brilliant to see our first ever cat winner! Huge congratulations to Kenichi.’

The full list of winners, as supplied by the organisers, is below.

Comedy Pet Photo Awards: winners list

• OVERALL WINNER & Cat Category: Kenichi Morinaga with ‘Boom Boom’
• Dog Category: Jose Bayon from Spain with his rescue dog Nilo, feeling very happy having just discovered water. ‘Nilo’s love for water!’
• Horse Category: Radim Filipek won with his lovely shot of a mare and her foal looking like very ‘Happy horses.’
• All Other Creatures Category: Possibly the coolest entry we have had – a ‘Smokin Alpaca’ from Germany, captured by Stefan Brusius
• Pets Who Look Most Like Their Owner’s Category: Who could resist ‘Dave and Dudley’ enjoying a moment together in the US, snapped by Judy Nussenblatt.
  Junior Category: Freya Sharpe, aged 9, with her photo of the family cat Jack, who managed to get stuck way, way up in a hedge.
• Video Category: Won by Sarah Fiona Helme from the UK, with her video showing Rosie her cat carefully watching an owl descend towards her on TV!
• People’s Choice Award: Marko Jovanovic from the USA with his rescue dog bounding through the snow
• Comedy Pet Team Favourite: Voted for by the competition organisers, ‘Chauffeur Dog’ by Mehmet Aslan from Turkey

The 2023 Comedy Pet Photo Awards are open to enter now – head to comedypetphoto.com to submit your image. And if you need some pet photography tips and pointers, check out our guide to how to photograph pets.

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Further reading

• Winning tips from the Pet Photographer of the Year
• Best cameras for wildlife photography
• How to be an ethical wildlife photographer
• How to master animal photography

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