Fox Face-Planting Snow Wins Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards 2016

The winners of the Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards 2016 have been announced and a photo of a red fox hilariously missing his morning snack has snatched the top prize in both the Overall and On the Land categories

The entertaining picture of a fox face-planting in the snow was captured by Angela Bohlke from the USA in the Yellowstone National Park. Commenting on her win, Angela said: " I was absolutely shocked to be announced as the overall winner as I was not at all expecting to even be a finalist and there were so many amazing photographs from such skilled photographers in the competition.  To me, winning is just a chance to share the beauty of our protected lands with more people. I plan to donate any personal profit from sales of the image back to Yellowstone National Park where this image was taken."

Winner Land and Overall Winner 2016, 'A tough day at the office', © Angela Bohlke / Barcroft Images

 Last year’s awards saw Austria’s Julian Rad taking first place with his memorable shot of a chubby-cheeked hamster running towards the camera. But the judges believe the bar has been raised even higher this year. Judge and founder of the competition, Paul Joynson-Hicks MBE, said: "Last year was great, but this year has surpassed our expectations. There are some phenomenal and dedicated photographers out there, most of whom are not full-time professional photographers, but who deliver equally impressive results."

Winner Sea 2016, 'Excuse me', © Jim Chen / Barcroft Images

Other category winners this year included Kenya Airways In the Air winner, Nicholas de Vaulx, for his hilarious image of a pelican dropping its catch mid-flight, and Jim Chen from Taiwan, who scooped the Underwater category with a painted frog fish casually hitting another in the face.

The junior category was snapped up by 15-year-old Thomas Bullivant, from London, for a well-timed photograph of a family of smiling zebras and Argentinian banker Mario Gustavo Fiorucci won the award for the portfolio category with his comedic images of four posing owls.

Winner Junior 2016, 'Say cheese!' © Thomas Bullivant / Barcroft Images

This year’s contest featured over 2,200 entries from around the World and the awards ceremony for the overall winners took place at the Underdog Gallery in London on 9 November, with winners collecting trophies in five separate categories and an additional 10 highly commended photographers each receiving a certificate.

Winner Air 2016, 'Damn!' © Nicholas de Vaulx / Barcroft Images

The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards hopes to share the true playfulness of the animal kingdom with the public with the help of the awards, however there is also a serious message behind the laughs as the award’s aim is to raise awareness of the importance of protecting the environment for the world’s creatures with the help of international wildlife charity The Born Free Foundation.

To learn more about the Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards 2016, visit the Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards website where information on the 2017 competition will soon be available.