Humor

If you need something to brighten your day – and who doesn't these days? – get a load of the hilarious winners of the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2020. We gave you a glimpse at 15 of the finalists last month and now contest judges have chosen the funniest of them all.

The overall winner of the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2020 is Mark Fitzpatrick for "Terry the Turtle flipping the bird," which you can see at the top of this story. Here's what contest organizers said about the winning image:

"Up against 7,000 incredible entries from all over the world, Mark’s image emerged as a clear favorite with the judges. The image was captured when he was swimming with the turtles off Lady Elliot Island in Queensland, Australia. In a stroke of brilliance, Mark managed to catch the moment when Terry’s flipper is pulling back as he swims towards the camera, which makes it appear as if the turtle is indeed flipping Mark the bird and really means it."

And here's what Mark Fitzpatrick had to say about winning the contest:

“A huge thank you to the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards, I'm stoked and honored to be awarded the Comedy Wildlife Photographer of the Year for 2020. It's been amazing to see the reaction to my photo of Terry the Turtle flipping the bird, with Terry giving people a laugh in what has been a difficult year for many, as well as helping spread an important conservation message. Hopefully Terry the Turtle can encourage more people to take a moment and think about how much our incredible wildlife depend on us and what we can do to help them. Flippers crossed that this award puts Terry in a better mood the next time I see him at Lady Elliot Island!”

Check out a few more of the winners Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2020 below and make sure to visit the contest website for more award-winning photos and videos. You can see 15 of the finalists in the contest here and last year's winning wildlife comedy photo here.