It's no secret that pet owners are obsessed with snapping candid photos of sleeping dogs, yawning cats, and anything that looks cute, cuddly, or hilarious. Taking photos is one way we humans express our love for our pets.
The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards are a fun-filled competition created by Tom Sullam and Paul Joynson-Hicks to promote positive awareness of animal welfare issues. Past winners include a well-timed shot of a monkey who appears to have hurt the family jewels on a suspension wire. (Don't worry, folks, no monkeys were harmed for the awards.) The competition has been so successful that the duo decided to branch out and create the Comedy Pet Photo Awards, where photographers can submit pictures of their furry friends for a £2,000 ($2,650) prize.
Donations generated by the competition go to Animal Support Angels, an animal welfare charity in the U.K. The 2024 winner features a dog shoving his head through a way-too-small cat door. In 2023, the champion was a kitten caught red-handed trying to sneak-attack his brother. (The competition is on hiatus for 2025 but will resume in 2026.)
But even several years later, the crop of winners from the 2021 contest remains one of the best ever. The overall champion was Zoe Ross for "Whizz Pop," a photo of her labrador puppy Pepper, who appears to be tooting bubbles.
Overall Winner: Zoe Ross "Whizz Pop," Labrador puppy, Penkridge, UK© Zoe Ross /Animal Friends Comedy Pet Photo Awards 2021
