A funny picture of a squirrel that has been stuck in a tree has taken the top prizes at this year’s Nikon Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards. Milko Marchetti snapped the photo, called “Stuck Squirrel,” that stood out among 9,000 entries—highest ever received by the ten-year-old contest. The red squirrel had been trying to enter its hide inside the trunk of the tree when Marchetti managed to take a well-timed shot and went home with the top honor as overall winner.
Marchetti reflected on the shot and stated, “I have photographed many, many pictures of squirrels in all types of situations throughout the years in Italy, but this one struck me as very funny and such an odd position, as it is that exact moment when the squirrel is detaching its back legs from the trunk to go into its hide.” He added, “Every time I present this picture at the nature seminars at my local photography club, the audience explodes with raucous laughter, so I had to enter it!”
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The awards, announced on December 19, also saw other talented photographers recognised. Stefan Maier, senior general manager of marketing at Nikon Europe, expressed his excitement, saying, “I’m thrilled to announce Milko Marchetti’s win. His image brilliantly captures the playful and unpredictable moments that make nature so enchanting.”
Category winners included: Kingston Tam took the Young Photographer Award at Nikon using a close-up of an amiable frog. A ten-year-old, Flynn Thaitanunde-Lobb, has broken records to win first in the Portfolio category by using pictures of a rock star squirrel in a series of images he took. Video award went to Kevin Lohman; his footage of a frosted red fox going for ‘zoomies’ won several hearts. Last year’s winner, Jason Moore, photographed a western grey kangaroo female standing in an air guitar position in a wildflower field in Perth, Australia.
