Mark Meth-Cohn/Comedy Wildlife
“High Five”
A young gorilla’s high five won the competition. The public can still vote (and earn money for doing so).
Nature can be very cruel at times, but it also knows how to laugh, which is why the Nikon awards also recognize, every year, the funniest captures from the animal kingdom.
The most recent and 11th edition of the international competition, , distinguished the British Mark Meth-Cohn thanks to the image “High Five” (on the cover of this article), captured in the Virunga Mountains, in Rwanda, in which a small gorilla from the Amahoro family can be seen happily showing off the pirouettes, somersaults and kicks in the air that it can do.
“We spent four unforgettable days walking through the Virunga mountains, shrouded in fog, in search of the families of gorillas that live there”, says, quoted by Nikon, Meth-Cohn about the image that also won the award in the Mammals category.
“On this particular day, we encountered a large family group known as the Amahoro family. They were gathered in a clearing in the forest, where the adults foraged peacefully while the cubs played enthusiastically. One young male was especially eager to show off his acrobatic talent: pirouettes, somersaults and high kicks. Watching his performance was pure joy, and I am very happy to have captured his playful spirit in this image”, recalls the photographer.
The “perfectly timed” moment stood out among a record number of 10,000 entries from photographers in 109 countries. Forty-three of the best entries, which also include videos, were selected for a jury to choose their favorites.
The public can also participate and vote in the People’s Choice category, until March 1, 2026, and whoever votes is even eligible to win a prize of 500 pounds (around 570 euros), the winner of which will be announced on March 14, 2026.
Here are some of the images already awarded with their respective description and, of course, still in the running for the People’s Choice award.
Tomás Guimarães, ZAP //
