A VERY relaxed bear, boxing lion cubs and love birds whispering sweet nothings are among the challengers for this year’s Comedy Wildlife Photography Award
- Entrants include a cockeyed owl in Vancouver, lion cubs wrestling in Tanzania and a confused-looking seal, scratching its head on the beach in Lincolnshire, England
- The winning photographer will be awarded a once-in-a-lifetime safari in the Maasai Mara in Kenya, with Alex Walker’s Serian, a luxury safari firm, as well as a £2,000 Z6 Nikon, as well as a £300 lens
- The deadline for the sixth annual competition, founded by professional photographers Paul Joynson-Hicks MBE and Tom Sullam, is at midnight on June 30
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A hilarious picture of a grizzly bear lying on its back with its legs dangling in the air is just one of a number of such images to be going for gold in this year’s Comedy Wildlife Photography Award.
Other entrants include a cockeyed owl in Vancouver, lion cubs wrestling in Tanzania and a confused-looking seal, scratching its head on the beach in Lincolnshire, England.
The deadline for the sixth annual competition, founded by professional photographers Paul Joynson-Hicks MBE and Tom Sullam, is at midnight on June 30.
The winning photographer will be awarded a once-in-a-lifetime safari in the Maasai Mara in Kenya, with Alex Walker’s Serian, a luxury safari firm, as well as a £2,000 Z6 Nikon, as well as a £300 lens.
In addition a professional photo editing suite, Affinity Photo, a camera bag from ThinkTank, and of course, the title of 2020 Comedy Wildlife Photographer of the Year.
As part of their award Mr Joynson-Hicks and Mr Sullam hope to promote their conservation message. They said: ‘The planet has had a bit of a breather recently, because most of us have been in lockdown. As a result, we have seen wildlife return and thrive in our rivers, oceans, lands and skies.
‘It is more important than ever before that we learn from this and make sure we do our best to conserve and look after this amazing planet of ours before it is too late.’
‘Doing the Sand Dance,’ a grizzly bear lies on its back with its paws dangling in the air in the Alaska wilderness near to Lake Clarke. The deadline for the sixth annual competition, founded by professional photographers Paul Joynson-Hicks MBE and Tom Sullam, is at midnight on June 30.
!['Lightweight Wrestling,' this photograph taken by Yarin Klein shows a pair of lion cubs taking swipes at each other on the savanna plains of Tanzania. The winning photographer will be awarded a once-in-a-lifetime safari in the Maasai Mara in Kenya, with Alex Walker's Serian, a luxury safari firm, as well as a £2,000 Z6 Nikon, as well as a £300 lens.](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/05/14/10/28381262-8318821-image-a-27_1589448602974.jpg)
‘Lightweight Wrestling,’ this photograph taken by Yarin Klein shows a pair of lion cubs taking swipes at each other on the savanna plains of Tanzania. The winning photographer will be awarded a once-in-a-lifetime safari in the Maasai Mara in Kenya, with Alex Walker’s Serian, a luxury safari firm, as well as a £2,000 Z6 Nikon, as well as a £300 lens.
!['Yellow Collared Lovebirds', one of these stunning birds from the Tarangire National Park in Tanzania appears to give the other a peck on the cheek. As part of their award Mr Joynson-Hicks and Mr Sullam hope to promote their conservation message. They said: 'The planet has had a bit of a breather recently, because most of us have been in lockdown. As a result, we have seen wildlife return and thrive in our rivers, oceans, lands and skies. 'It is more important than ever before that we learn from this and make sure we do our best to conserve and look after this amazing planet of ours before it is too late.'](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/05/14/10/28381282-8318821-image-a-26_1589448602959.jpg)
‘Yellow Collared Lovebirds’, one of these stunning birds from the Tarangire National Park in Tanzania appears to give the other a peck on the cheek. As part of their award Mr Joynson-Hicks and Mr Sullam hope to promote their conservation message. They said: ‘The planet has had a bit of a breather recently, because most of us have been in lockdown. As a result, we have seen wildlife return and thrive in our rivers, oceans, lands and skies. ‘It is more important than ever before that we learn from this and make sure we do our best to conserve and look after this amazing planet of ours before it is too late.’
!['Rough Night', this Northern Pygmy Owl on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada perched on a small branch looking like he had a rough night or the best night of his life](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/05/14/10/28381272-8318821-image-a-28_1589448603025.jpg)
‘Rough Night’, this Northern Pygmy Owl on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada perched on a small branch looking like he had a rough night or the best night of his life
!['Wowza!' A lion cub gawps at something in the distance, its jaw dropping, as it sits with one of his siblings and his mother in Kenya's Masai Mara](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/05/14/10/28381278-8318821-image-a-29_1589448603052.jpg)
‘Wowza!’ A lion cub gawps at something in the distance, its jaw dropping, as it sits with one of his siblings and his mother in Kenya’s Masai Mara
![Confused: A seal scratches its head as he lays on the beach in Winterton, Lincolnshire in England](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/05/14/10/28381270-8318821-image-a-31_1589448603093.jpg)
Confused: A seal scratches its head as he lays on the beach in Winterton, Lincolnshire in England
![Laughing stock: Two Zebra buddies share a joke, enjoying life in the savanna in Nairobi National Park, Kenya. One of them rolls his head back in very human-like fashion](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/05/14/10/28381280-8318821-image-a-33_1589448900312.jpg)
Laughing stock: Two Zebra buddies share a joke, enjoying life in the savanna in Nairobi National Park, Kenya. One of them rolls his head back in very human-like fashion
![A 'laughing' sea otter in Morro Bay, California. The otter twists its head and flashes its rows of teeth as if laughing like a human would](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/05/14/10/28381266-8318821-image-a-35_1589448905032.jpg)
A ‘laughing’ sea otter in Morro Bay, California. The otter twists its head and flashes its rows of teeth as if laughing like a human would
![A hippo mother has her baby nibbling her ear in Masai Mara, but it also appears from the baby hippo's facial expression that he is laughing](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/05/14/10/28381260-8318821-image-a-38_1589448910473.jpg)
A hippo mother has her baby nibbling her ear in Masai Mara, but it also appears from the baby hippo’s facial expression that he is laughing
![A roebuck deer sticks its tongue out at another in the grasslands of Estonia in this hilarious photograph shot by Alvin Tarknees](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/05/14/10/28381268-8318821-image-a-39_1589448914260.jpg)
A roebuck deer sticks its tongue out at another in the grasslands of Estonia in this hilarious photograph shot by Alvin Tarknees
![Walk on Water: At certain times of the year flamingos populate Lake Magadi in Serengeti, Tanzania, and this is when you can see them taking off and landing... Or just showing off](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/05/14/10/28381276-8318821-image-a-42_1589448919401.jpg)
Walk on Water: At certain times of the year flamingos populate Lake Magadi in Serengeti, Tanzania, and this is when you can see them taking off and landing… Or just showing off
![A percher damselfly clutches a stalk in its hand in Zambales in the Philippines](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/05/14/10/28381264-8318821-image-a-30_1589448603072.jpg)
A percher damselfly clutches a stalk in its hand in Zambales in the Philippines