Kangaroo playing air guitar wins the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

And the champion emerges—a kangaroo immersed in air guitar performance.

The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards make a triumphant return this year, with photographer Jason Moore securing the top prize for his snapshot titled "Air Guitar Roo."

In this amusing photograph, Moore captures a moment of pure joy as a young female Western Grey Kangaroo seemingly strums an invisible guitar with closed eyes. The lighthearted scene unfolded in the suburbs of Perth, Australia, within a field teeming with kangaroos hopping around clusters of flowers.

Reflecting on the experience, Moore shared, "I had been out with my camera photographing some waterfowl at a nearby lake. I had been up at sunrise to take advantage of the 'golden hour' light, but it turned out to be a disappointing morning on the water."

Initiated by and for photographers, the awards select winners from among thousands of submissions each year.

This particular image was selected from a pool of 5,300 entries, submitted by 1,842 participants hailing from 85 different countries.

Despite having driven past this location numerous times, Moore opted to step out and explore with his camera one day in August 2021, drawn by the perfect illumination casting over the field.

Contrary to their occasional tough image, Moore asserted that kangaroos are generally quite placid and "even a bit mundane most of the time."

"I took approximately 40 or 50 shots of the kangaroos, featuring various subjects such as mothers, joeys, and action shots of them bouncing through the yellow field," Moore shared.

"Yet, when I witnessed this kangaroo striking the air guitar pose, it instantly brought a smile to my face, and I recognized that I had captured something truly exceptional."

According to organizers, the outcome was determined in the closest win ever documented in the competition.

Moore is set to receive a Kenyan Safari courtesy of Alex Walker’s Serian, a camera bag from ThinkTank, and a handmade trophy from the Wonder Workshop in Tanzania.

Additionally, the judges bestowed special mentions upon several other photos.



See the full list here!