And the winning shots of the Comedy Pet Photo Awards 2022 are...

The young Labrador Pepper and his multicolored bubble have found their worthy successor. After unveiling their selection of finalists last July, consisting of 26 photos and four videos, the organizers of the Comedy Pet Photo Awards have just announced the name of the big winner of their 2022 edition, the third.

This photo contest was created by the organizers of the now famous Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards. Unlike the latter, this competition exclusively highlights pets – dogs, cats, horses, rabbits and others – but always in the most comical poses.

The least we can say is that this year’s winner accepted the challenge with flying colors. This is Japanese Kenichi Morinaga who illustrated himself with an unlikely photo of two street cats head to head (literally) on a wall. This photographer’s passion for cats started when he got his first cat and started traveling around Europe.

” I was suddenly fascinated by the antics of cats on the street and started taking pictures of them. “, he said. ” When I returned to Japan, I kept looking for them. They really lift my spirits, especially after the two years of the pandemic. They’re so funny even when they’re doing something serious “.

IN THE IMAGES, IN THE PHOTOS Comedy Pet Photo Awards: See the 2022 Pet Photos winners and finalists

” This amazing competition reminded me that these behaviors by all animals are recognized as funny, cute and comforting not only in Japan but all over the world. added Kenichi Morinaga, who also won the cat-only category and whose Instagram account flourishes with more photos of mischievous cats.

As for dogs, it was the Spaniard Jose Bayon who won over the jury with a photo of his dog Nilo running after water in his garden. Czech Radim Filipek won the horse category with his portrait of two specimens smiling from ear to ear while German Stefan Brusius stood out in the other animals category with his smoking alpaca.

Among the other winners, the English Freya Sharpe and her cat perched in a hedge and the American Judy Nussenblatt for her splendid duo (furry) formed by the dog Dudley and his master Dave. The audience prize was awarded to the American Marko Jovanovic and his magnificent Carter discovering snow for the first time.

Alongside the Comedy Pet team, another dog stood out: the one spotted in the car by the Turkish Mehmet Aslan. Finally, the award for best video went to Britain’s Sarah Fiona Helme who filmed her cat on television while she watched a barn owl in flight.

Photos to smile… and help associations

” We are delighted to see such an entertaining selection of winners from all over the world this year. And it’s great to see our first winning cat! A huge congrats to Kenichi “, Tom Sullam, co-founder of the Comedy Pet Photo Awards, explained in a press release.

” The joy that animals bring to our lives is evident in all the entries we receive, which makes our job as judges a lot of fun but also very challenging. What’s great is that these hilarious photos and videos not only make us smile, they also imply that we can help some amazing charities with big donations thanks to our partners Animal Friends “, He added.

In addition to the £2,000 received for his prize, the Japanese winner was free to choose a charity to which to donate a further £5,000. A donation of 35,000 pounds (about 41,000 euros) was also made to three associations that work for abandoned animals: Dean Farm Trust, London Inner City Kitties and Wild at Heart Foundation.

>> Do you like pets? Discover the unusual stories of cats, dogs, pigeons and other animals like no one else in our GEONIMAUX series.

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