Dammit, Gannet! The funniest wildlife photography competition in the world announces finalists

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  Sports and Competition on Wed, Oct 22nd, 2025 by digitalcameraworld

Dammit Gannet’s Hilarious Wildlife Contest Reveals Its Finalists

By Digital Camera World Staff
Published September 12, 2024
Source: https://www.digitalcameraworld.com/photography/awards-and-competitions/dammit-gannet-the-funniest-wildlife-photography-competition-in-the-world-announces-finalists

The whimsical world of wildlife photography has just gotten a dose of comedy gold, as Dammit Gannet – the online platform that celebrates funny animal moments – announced the 25 finalists of its 2024 “The Funniest Wildlife Photography Competition in the World.” The announcement, released on Digital Camera World’s dedicated awards-and-competitions page, details the photo entries that tickled the judges’ funny bones, the prize structure, and what participants can expect in the next phase of the contest.

What is the Dammit Gannet Competition?

Dammit Gannet launched its flagship competition in 2018 with the goal of turning the “serious” realm of wildlife imagery into a light‑hearted, crowd‑pleasing showcase. According to the competition’s website, the contest is open to all photographers worldwide, with no limits on the number of submissions per person. Entries must be original, taken within the past 12 months, and submitted in JPEG format with a maximum size of 20 MB. The theme of the 2024 edition, “Laughing in the Wild,” encouraged entrants to capture animals in moments of unexpected humor or quirky behaviour.

Official competition page: https://www.dammitgannet.com/competition

How the Judging Process Worked

Dammit Gannet assembled a panel of five expert judges for 2024, drawn from a mix of wildlife photography, animal behaviour science, and mainstream media. The panel included:

1. Dr. Emily Torres – Wildlife Behaviourist, University of Edinburgh
2. Luca Bianchi – Professional Wildlife Photographer, “Wild Lens”
3. Jasmine Patel – Editor, National Geographic’s “Animal Moments”
4. Marcus Hayes – Photojournalist, BBC Nature
5. Grace Chen – Social Media Influencer, “Cute Critters”

Each judge scored the entries on creativity, composition, and humour on a 10‑point scale. The combined scores determined the final ranking. To keep the process transparent, Dammit Gannet published a brief “judging rubric” on its site, which can be accessed here: https://www.dammitgannet.com/judging-rubric

Finalists

The competition received a record 9,312 entries from 122 countries, a number that dwarfed last year’s 7,500 entries. After a thorough review, the panel announced 25 finalists. Below is a selection of the standout images that made the cut:

(Full list of 25 finalists and their images is available on Dammit Gannet’s finalists page: https://www.dammitgannet.com/finalists)

Each finalist’s entry is accompanied by a short story written by the photographer, providing context and a behind‑the‑lens perspective that adds depth to the humor.

Prize Structure

The competition offers a multi‑tiered prize structure designed to reward the most entertaining wildlife moments. According to the competition’s prize page, the awards for 2024 are as follows:

• Grand Prize – $2,500 cash, plus a professional camera package valued at $4,500.
• Runner‑up – $1,000 cash, plus a 2025 annual subscription to “Wild Lens Magazine.”
• Second Runner‑up – $500 cash and a photo‑editing software bundle.
• Honorable Mentions – 10 photographers receive a $250 gift card to a major photography retailer and are featured in Dammit Gannet’s “Hall of Fame.”

All winners will be announced at a live online awards ceremony scheduled for October 20, 2024, which will be streamed on YouTube and Twitch. The event will also showcase the finalists’ stories and behind‑the‑camera footage.

What Happens Next

The finalists are invited to submit a high‑resolution, unedited version of their winning image for final printing and marketing purposes. In addition, the finalists will be asked to provide a short video (up to two minutes) explaining how they captured the comedic moment. This content will be used for promotional campaigns across social media and on the Dammit Gannet website.

Dammit Gannet’s spokesperson, Kara Mitchell, said, “We’re thrilled to see such a wide array of creativity and joy in the submissions this year. Wildlife is inherently funny, and we’re proud to showcase that humor in a way that resonates with both animal lovers and photography enthusiasts.”

How to Participate in Future Contests

The competition will reopen for the next “Laughing in the Wild” cycle in March 2025. Participants can register and keep up with contest updates by subscribing to the Dammit Gannet newsletter at https://www.dammitgannet.com/subscribe.

Digital Camera World will continue to cover the contest’s progress, so readers should keep an eye on this channel for future updates, including the live awards ceremony and any post‑competition feature articles on the finalists’ subsequent projects.

For more detailed information, visit the Dammit Gannet competition page or the full finalists list.