A photo of a golden silk monkey looking very uncomfortable has won first prize at the Comedy Wildlife Awards 2021. The competition winners were revealed on BBC’s The One Show in front of a million viewers, making it the first time it’s been publicized on TV.
Ken Jensen from Blackburn, England, was this year’s overall winner with his photo entitled ‘Ouch!’ The winning shot was taken on a bridge that runs over the river Xun in the Longsheng Gorge in Yunnan, China, during a family holiday in 2016. Golden silk monkeys freely roam the area and are often found playing on the bridge, unfazed by human interaction. Ken managed to snap one particular male monkey while it sat on one of the supporting ropes with a look of sheer surprise on its face. It just goes to show, sometimes, timing really is everything.
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In reaction to the good news, Ken said, “ I was absolutely overwhelmed to learn that my entry had won, especially when there were quite a number of wonderful photos entered. The publicity that my image has received over the last few months has been incredible, it is such a great feeling to that that one’s image is making people smile globally as well as helping to support some fantastically worthwhile conservation causes”.
As the 2021 Comedy Wildlife Photographer of the Year, Ken won a once-in-a-lifetime trip to go to the Masai Mara in Kenya on safari. He will also receive a unique handmade trophy from the Wonder Workshop in Tanzania, a photography bag from Think Tank and a goodie bag full to the brim.
Founded in 2015 the competition is now in its seventh year, and during its time has received entries from all corners of the world. Other notable category winners this year include John Speirs who won both the Affinity People’s Choice Award and the Creature of Air Award for his photo of a pigeon with a leaf over its face. Chee Kee Teo won the Creatures of the Water Award for an image depicting an unimpressed young otter with its mother, entitled ‘Time for School’ while Vicki Jauron won the Portfolio Award with a series of images showing a young elephant taking a mud bath.
Not only does the competition provide a platform for photographers to share their funniest shots, it also helps to promote wildlife conservation. This year, 10 % of the total net revenue made will be donated to Save Wild Orangutangs – an initiative that safeguards wild orangutans in and around Gunung Palang National Park, Borneo.
To see the full list of winning entries, included those images that were highly commended head to the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards Website. If you have a funny wildlife photo that will make people laugh, you can subscribe and be the first to find out when entries for the 2022 competition open.
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