delight
A sneezing moose and a squirrel owl-attack made the finals
The squirrel knocked the owl off its branch. Then did it twice more.
The Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards announced their 2026 finalists this week, drawn from more than 10,000 photos submitted across 112 countries. It was a record year for the competition, and the shortlist of 40 finalists will be shown at Gallery@Oxo in London from December 9 to 13. A judging panel of photographers and comedians picked the overall winner, to be revealed December 8. Among the entries is a moose caught mid-sneeze in Alberta's Maligne Lake, a southern double-collared sunbird that yanked a flower petal off with its beak and ended up wearing it, and a squirrel in Santa Cruz that launched itself at a great horned owl. Both animals walked away fine, though the owl did not see it coming, and the squirrel did it twice more. Each year the contest backs a conservation group. This time it is the Born Free Foundation, which works to keep wild animals wild.
