The Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards says its 2026 competition received more than 10,000 entries from photographers in 112 countries—a record number of submissions, according to DPReview. The finalists include 40 individual images, plus separate under-16, portfolio, and video groups. The Overall, Category, and Highly Commended winners were scheduled to be announced at a London ceremony on December 8, 2026.
What is the 2026 Comedy Wildlife Awards milestone?
DPReview reports that the competition received more than 10,000 submissions for its 2026 edition, the first time it has passed that mark. The same report says entrants came from 112 countries and describes the total as a record for the awards. These are figures attributed to the competition by DPReview, not a separately audited count.
The scale of the entry pool provides context for the finalist selections, but it is not evidence by itself of a conservation result. DPReview does not report a measured conservation impact tied to the entry total.
How many finalists are there, and what categories are represented?
DPReview reports these finalist groupings for 2026:
#1 Best Overall
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| Finalist grouping | Number reported |
|---|---|
| Individual images | 40 |
| Under-16 finalists | 3 |
| Portfolio Category finalists | 4 |
| Video finalists | 9 |
The 40 individual finalists are spread across four categories: mammals; birds; reptiles, amphibians and insects; and aquatic species. These are distinct groupings, so the figures above should not be read as a single count of unique finalists across every category.
What kinds of wildlife moments made the shortlist?
The finalist examples reported by DPReview range across species and settings, including a praying mantis photographed in Camanti, Cusco, Peru, a goldcrest, lions photographed in Zimbabwe, elephants, an orangutan, and a caiman. They illustrate the breadth of the categories rather than provide a complete list of finalists.
Rank #2
- This Camera Bundle Items Includes: Nikon D7500 DSLR Camera Import Model With 1 Year Exclusive Dealer Warranty, Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-140mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR Lens, 420-800mm f/8 Manual Super HD Telephoto Lens, T-Mount Adapter for 420-800 Lens, 3pc Filter Lens Set: UV, PL And FLD, SanDisk Extreme PRO 128 GB Memory Card, Nikon EN-EL15c Lithium-Ion Battery (2280mAh), Nikon MH-25a Battery Charger, Spare Extra Replacement Battery.
- Camera Carrying Case, 50 Inch Tripod, Hand Grip, Nikon BF-1B Body Cap, Nikon AN-DC3 Camera Strap (Black), Nikon DK-5 Eyepiece Cap, Nikon 67mm Snap-On Lens Cap, Nikon LF-4 Rear Lens Cap, 67mm Tulip Hood, Nikon DK-28 Rubber Eyecup, Nikon BF-1B Body Cap, PC Software: Movavi Video and Photo Editor, Card Reader, Dust Blower, Sensor Brush Pen.
- Designed as a true all-arounder, the Nikon D7500 is a DX-format DSLR offering a versatile feature-set to appeal to photographers and videographers alike. Based on a 20.9MP CMOS sensor and EXPEED 5 image processor, this multimedia maven avails an 8 fps continuous shooting rate for up to 100 consecutive JPEGS, a native sensitivity range to ISO 51,200 that can be expanded up to ISO 1,640,000, and 4K UHD video and time-lapse recording capabilities.
- Balancing the performance attributes, the D7500 is also characterized by its sleek profile and monocoque construction that is comfortable and easy to handle. This physical design is also fully weather-sealed to permit working in harsh environmental conditions. In addition to the pentaprism optical viewfinder, a rear 3.2" 922k-dot touchscreen is also featured, and has a tilting design to benefit working from high and low shooting angles.
- The DX-format 20.9MP CMOS sensor is paired with the EXPEED 5 image processor to provide an esteemed mixture of high sensitivity, nuanced image quality, and fast overall performance. At native values, a sensitivity range from ISO 100-51200 permits working in a broad array of lighting conditions and can be further expanded to ISO 50-1640000 (Lo 1 to Hi 5) to handle the most challenging of situations.
The humor comes from moments captured in wildlife photography; the examples are presented as observed animal behavior, not staged scenes. Individual photographer captions describe where and how some photographs were made.
When will the 2026 winners be announced?
As of October 3, 2026, the Overall, Category, and Highly Commended winners were scheduled to be announced at a ceremony in London on December 8, 2026, according to DPReview. That date was still in the future at the time of reporting.
Rank #3
- This Bundle Includes: Sandisk 64GB Class 10 SD Memory Card, 3 Piece Filter Kit , Deluxe Camera Bag, 50 inch DSLR Tripod, Slave Flash, Lens Cap, Body Cap ,Neck Strap , Cleaning Cloth , Lens Pen and Includes :
- Nikon D7500 DSLR Camera Body - Import Model 20.9MP DX-Format CMOS Sensor , EXPEED 5 Image Processor , 3.2 922k-Dot Tilting Touchscreen LCD , 4K UHD Video Recording at 30 fps ,Multi-CAM 3500FX II 51-Point AF System , Native ISO 51200, Expanded ISO 1,640,000 , 8 fps Shooting for Up to 100 Frames , Multi-CAM 3500FX II 51-Point AF System , SnapBridge Bluetooth and Wi-Fi , 180k-Pixel RGB Sensor and Group Area AF
- Nikon AF-P DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR Lens + Nikon AF-P DX NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3G Lens
- 3.2" 922k-Dot Tilting Touchscreen LCD Monitor - 4K UHD 3840 x 2160p Video Recording at 30 fps - SnapBridge Bluetooth and Wi-Fi Connectivity
- The D7500 features a 20.9MP CMOS sensor and EXPEED 5 image processor, this multimedia maven avails an 8 fps continuous shooting rate for up to 100 consecutive JPEGS, a native sensitivity range to ISO 51,200 that can be expanded up to ISO 1,640,000, and 4K UHD video and time-lapse recording capabilities.
What is the competition’s conservation connection?
DPReview says the awards were founded in 2015 partly to promote conservation and identifies Born Free Foundation as the conservation partner for the 2026 edition. It describes Born Free as an international charity that rescues and protects wild animals from exploitation and works to conserve threatened species and natural habitats. The entry milestone and finalist announcement do not establish how much conservation impact the competition or its partnership has achieved.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- 125x Optical Zoom. Ultra-telephoto reach equivalent to 24-3000mm with a 250X Dynamic Fine Zoom
- Rock Steady. Dual Detect Optical VR image stabilization, equivalent to shooting at a shutter speed 4.0 stops.
- Power-packed Point-and-shoot. Cover an extraordinary range of shots—ultra-telephoto, wide-angle, and even macro close-ups—as JPEG or .NRW (RAW) photos, 4K UHD video, smooth slow-motion, time-lapse and Super lapse movies.
- Easy Access Bird-watching Mode. Selectable right from the mode dial, it optimizes camera settings for capturing. Close Focus Macro Mode. The Macro focus mode lets you get as close as approx. 1 cm from your subject to reveal the smallest details in brilliant clarity.
- Customizable Control Ring. Use it for manual focus or for adjusting exposure compensation, white balance
Rank #4
- The CMOS image sensor offers an effective pixel count of 14.2-million pixels (D3000: CCD image sensor with 10.2-million effective pixels) and enables capture of high-definition images exhibiting superior image quality with extremely detailed rendering and rich tones
- EXPEED 2 is Nikon's new image-processing engine, developed by refining the concepts, it maximises the performance of the CMOS image sensor to suppress noise in still images and movies and produces images that faithfully reproduce vivid colors
- The camera also makes the most of its standard sensitivity settings up to ISO 3200 (D3000: ISO 100-1600) and additional increases up to Hi 2 (ISO 12800 equivalent), with shooting under dim lighting, such as in the evening or indoors, as well as with sports scenes of rapidly moving subjects
- 3-inch monitor, 230,000-dot, low-temperature polysilicon TFT LCD, Eye-level penta-dach mirror type, built-in diopter adjustment (-1.7 to +0.5m-1) - D-Movie for recording and editing full-HD movies and AF-F (full-time servo AF) focus mode for high-quality movie recording
- Vibration Reduction Technology, 1080p HD Movie Recording, Live View, Auto Scene Selector, Flash Features: Slow-Sync Flash, Flash Cancel, Auto On/Off, Rear-Curtain Sync, Pop-Up Flash, Red-Eye Reduction, Fill-In Flash
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