- The annual Comedy Pet Photography Awards highlight hilarious pictures taken by pet owners.
- The winning photo shows a dog trying to stick its face through a cat flap.
- A photo of a cat swinging from curtains won the contest’s People’s Choice award.
Some photography contests award images of stunning natural landscapes or poignant portraits that capture the essence of humanity. The Comedy Pet Photography Awards have a unique mission: to highlight the best in pet shenanigans.
On Thursday, the Comedy Pet Photography Awards announced the winners of its 2024 competition. The top photos include snapshots of cats and dogs as well as a horse, a donkey, and a tortoise.
“In a world that can be hard to fathom, our pets are the one constant in our lives that make sense and are a vital source of support, joy, and sometimes, great hilarity,” Michelle Wood, who helps run the contest, said in a statement. “We would have a competition to celebrate them every single day if we could, and to be able to share these brilliant winners with you and laugh out loud with these loveable creatures is the reason this competition exists!”
The contest’s overall winner receives £500, or about $638, a ThinkTank camera bag, and a trophy naming them Comedy Pet Photographer of the Year.
Take a look at this year’s funniest pet photos.
Highly Commended: “Peek-A-Boo” by Sylvia Michel
“I took this great picture in deep snow in Grindelwald,” Michel captioned the photo. “My dog, Raasta, spontaneously hid so that only his ears were sticking out of the snow.”
Highly Commended: “You Didn’t Hear This From Me” by Kenichi Morinaga
“These cats are having a secret talk about where to fish,” Morinaga wrote.
Highly Commended: “Dancing Queen” by Vera Faupel
“What can I say, this dog loves to jump!” Faupel wrote of the photo.
Highly Commended: “Everybody Was Kung Fu Fighting” by Sylvia Michel
“I threw a few snowballs and my dog jumped after them with great enthusiasm,” Michel wrote.
Highly Commended: “Kitty in the Kitchen” by Atsuyuki Ohshimo
“He stayed there as if he was one of the kitchen tools,” Ohshimo wrote.
Highly Commended: “Grumpy Dog” by Luiza Ribeiro
“Meet Nick Barry, a 5-year-old Yorkie with a special talent for hilarious expressions,” Ribeiro captioned the photo. “This may not be his most flattering photo, but that frown is undeniably captivating — a true portrait of a dog who doesn’t need smiles to win our hearts.”
Highly Commended: “I Believe I Can Fly” by Julie Smith
“Flying poodle,” Smith captioned the photo.
Highly Commended: “Nosy Neighbors” by Emma Beardsmore
“These are my two cats during the COVID-19 lockdown,” Beardsmore wrote. “They are spying on the neighbors who are breaking the rules!”
Cat Category Winner: “Cat in a Trap” by Kenichi Morinaga
“It looks like a Super Mario World video game,” Morinaga wrote.
Horse Category Winner: “I Think I Saw A Mouse” by Debby Thomas
“This beautiful and athletic gelding loves to try to fly off the ground!” Thomas wrote. “This is one of the series of leaps he performs.”
All Other Creatures Category Winner: “New Rose” by Jonathan Casey
“Edgar loves to eat flowers, and her favorites are dandelions for spring, snapdragons for summer, and here she can be seen gobbling a whole Gertrude Jekyll rose last September,” Casey wrote. “We grow them for her, and since she is elderly, we hand-feed her and sometimes snap her in between bites.”
Junior Category Winner: “Tired Donkey” by Charlotte Kitchen
“After sprinting around and completing some training, Benji was exhausted and wanted an afternoon nap!” Kitchen wrote.
Pets Who Look Like Their Owners Category Winner: “The Proud Pup And His Best Friend” by Darya Zelentsova
“Ludo von Lickenface, the sweetest 16-year-old rescue pup, strikes a pose alongside his beloved guardian, David,” Zelentsova captioned the photo.
People’s Choice Award Winner: “Tarzan” by Kazutoshi Ono
“It’s like being in the jungle,” Ono captioned the photo.
OVERALL WINNER: “Not Just For Cats” by Sarah Haskell
“Hector saw the cat do it, so he thought he would give it a try, and this is about as far as he got before reversing out the way he came,” Haskell captioned the photo of her dog attempting to pass through a cat flap. “The cat made it look so easy.”
When asked what she would do with the prize money, Haskell joked that she would buy a bigger cat flap along with some new camera equipment.
“These Comedy Pet Photo Awards have been a good-natured, friendly competition with comical animal characters that you feel you can somehow relate to, that make you smile, and that you want to know more about,” she said. “Delighted that Hector and I have been part of it, and tremendously proud to be a winner.”