Finalist photos of 2017 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards will make your day

The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards contest focuses on wildlife conservation, but with a dose of humor in wildlife photography. They have announced the finalists of their 2017 contest, and it’s a precious collection of wildlife photos that will make you giggle and make your heart warm. It’s Monday and it’s cold – so take a look at this entertaining gallery and let these amazing, funny photos improve your day.

The founders of the competition are Tanzania-based photographers Paul Joynson-Hicks MBE and Tom Sullam. According to Sullam, “conservation was always at the heart of the competition, along with the fact that people seemed to enjoy images of animals doing entertaining things.” This year, there were over 3,500 entries from 86 countries all over the world. And out of all these entertaining images, the judges chose 40 finalists to compete for the main prize.

All of the photos are judged both on their humor and content, and the winners will be announced on December 14. There are also plenty of unseen hilarious images in the books you can order online: Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards and Wild and Crazy: Photos from the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards. But before the winners are published, here are some of the shortlisted images that will make you giggle: