Shutter clicks and musical notes intertwine as Abbey Road Studios prepares to host the fourth annual Abbey Road Music Photography Awards, an event that has rapidly established itself as the premier global celebration of music photography.
The 2025 nominees were announced on September 9, igniting excitement across photography and music communities worldwide as the competition continues to grow in prominence and participation.
This year’s awards will honor Dutch photographer and filmmaker Anton Corbijn with the coveted ICON Award, following in the footsteps of previous recipients Jill Furmanovsky (2024) and Henry Diltz (2023).
The judging panel features renowned photographers including Scarlet Page and Janette Beckman, alongside past winners and nominees who bring expert perspectives to the selection process. The panel is led by Rankin, co-founder of MPA and a distinguished figure in the photography world.
Distinguished experts in the field lend their discerning eyes to identify exceptional visual narratives that define music’s cultural moments.
The ceremony, scheduled for October 2, 2025, at the legendary Abbey Road Studios, represents the culmination of a competition that has attracted over 22,000 entries from 28 countries in previous years.
Eight categories will recognize excellence in music photography, including two new additions introduced for 2025, all designed to spotlight both emerging and established talent. The newly added Portrait and Festivals categories expand the competition’s scope to celebrate diverse photographic styles.
Public engagement remains central to the awards’ mission, with the Music Moment of the Year category opened to public voting, allowing fans worldwide to participate in celebrating exceptional photographic achievements.
This democratic approach has considerably boosted visibility for photographers whose work might otherwise remain behind the scenes of the music industry.
Following the awards ceremony, photography enthusiasts can experience the winning works at a week-long exhibition at London’s Outernet venue, followed by a month-long showcase at the Royal Albert Hall.
These exhibitions, which have previously attracted over 1.5 million visitors, present diverse photographic styles capturing the essence of various music genres.
Abbey Road Studios’ involvement lends considerable gravitas to the awards, with the iconic recording venue’s historic significance amplifying the prestige of this relatively young but rapidly growing global competition that has become a cornerstone event for music photography worldwide.
Many photographers featured in the exhibition have also found success through sync deals, licensing their images for use in visual media campaigns that complement their artistic work.
Several award-winning photographers have leveraged their recognition to distribute visual companion pieces on streaming platforms, enhancing both their artistic visibility and musicians’ audience engagement.
