Snowstorm Leopard - 2008 Wildlife Photographer of the Year

A picture of an elusive snow leopard on a night-time prowl has won the prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2008 award. The image was taken by Steve Winter, a photographer for National Geographic magazine, during a 13-month quest to capture a perfect image of the endangered species in its unforgiving habitat high in the mountains of central Asia.


Stalking India's Hemis National Park, a snow leopard lives up to its name in U.S. photographer Steve Winter's award-winning National Geographic magazine image.

On October 30, 2008, "Snowstorm Leopard" was named best overall photo in the 2008 Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, which is organized by the Natural History of London and BBC Wildlife Magazine.

"This is the hardest story I have ever done because of the altitude and the steepness of the mountains," the U.S. photographer told National Geographic. "At night it was 30 below zero."

As few as 3,500 snow leopards remain in the wild.

Related Links

Snow Leopard photos - More photos by Steve Winter

2008 Wildlife Photographer Awards - View the rest of the photos that won awards