This incredible image of two snow leopards playing together on snowy slopes in the Spiti Valley region of northern India, is the competition’s overall winner. Capturing these elusive animals on camera is what NPOTY Chairman Tin Man Lee calls “the holy grail of wildlife photography.”

Photographer Paolo Della Rocca had to wait over six hours at the edge of a canyon in the midst of a snowstorm, with temperatures dipping to -25°C (-13°F), in order for the animals to emerge from a cave and allow him to capture the image. “Not even in my wildest dreams did I imagine photographing such a moment,” he said.

Now check out images that show the beautiful power of mother nature

Incredible images from the Nature Photographer of the Year awards