03 October 2025 – Press launch
Abbey Road has introduced the winners of the Abbey Road Music Photography Awards 2025 throughout an exciting and celebratory night held throughout the long-lasting Studios One and Two. Hosted by the returning Lauren Laverne, the evening revealed the winners and finalists of this yr’s competitors and likewise featured highly effective dwell performances from Abbey Road’s Artist In Residence Jordan Rakei and Orla Gartland, plus DJ units from Dimitri From Paris and Klaverson.
David Bailey CBE obtained a particular one-off Lifetime Achievement Award this yr, in recognition of his extraordinary contributions to music images over the previous sixty years. His spouse Catherine collected the award, which was offered by music legend Nile Rodgers, whereas video tributes got here from Elton John, Alice Cooper, Mary McCartney, Jarvis Cocker, Penelope Tree and Pattie Boyd. Mary McCartney stated that Bailey is “a complete inspiration and a legend – you can feel him in every picture that he takes.”
Anton Corbijn obtained the ICON Award, which was offered by 2024 ICON winner Jill Furmanovsky, whereas Depeche Mode, U2, Metallica’s Lars Ulrich, The Killers’ Brandon Flowers, Siouxsie Sioux, Lenny Kravitz, Tom Waits, Nick Cave, Michael Stipe, Bryan Ferry, Arcade Fire’s Win Butler, and New Order / Joy Division’s Bernard Sumner despatched video messages. Nick Cave stated “You have spent your career making me more handsome and interesting than I actually am. Your work continues to fascinate and inspire us all. You are indeed an icon!”
The solely world music images awards, the Abbey Road Music Photography Awards champions, empowers and showcases the worldwide group of music photographers. This yr, over 20,000 pictures had been submitted from 30 completely different international locations. Two new classes had been launched for 2025 – Portrait and Festivals, whereas this yr’s visitor class was Club Culture – celebrating pictures from any yr.
Speaking concerning the winners of the Abbey Road Music Photography Awards 2025, the studios’ MD, Sally Davies, says: “Abbey Road has always stood at the intersection of music and creativity. These awards are our way of celebrating the photographers who make music visible, and freeze emotion and history in a single frame. It’s been a privilege to honour legends like David Bailey and Anton Corbijn, whose work has shaped the visual language of music for generations.”
Lead Judge, Rankin provides: “It’s so great to see music photography thriving. It has never felt more vital, and these images remind us why it’s such a powerful art form.”
Jordan Curtis Hughes’ candid image of Matty Healy from The 1975 received the Making Music class, Ruby Boland’s shot of MAY-A took residence the Live Music award, and Adam Ziegenhals’s nice Unabomb picture received in Underground Scenes. The public vote for the Music Moment of the Year award (supported by Outernet London) was received by Kirby Gladstein for her Lana Del Rey shot from Coachella 2024, whereas Melissa Gardner’s Lava La Rue picture secured the Emerging Photographer of the Year award (supported by adidas). In this yr’s new classes, Inès Ziouane’s picture of Festival d’été de Québec received in Festivals, whereas Alec Castillo’s image of Adam Amram collected the Portrait award. Club Culture, this yr’s visitor class was received by Connor Baker for his Glitterbox, Hï Ibiza membership room shot, and Judges’ Choice was received by Platon for his Nile Rodgers picture.
Winners obtained a trophy designed by London-based artist Rose Pilkington, finest identified for her immersive multi-dimensional digital work for Romy and Jamie xx, and for designing Instagram’s iconic gradient. Each distinctive paintings reimagines the analogue gear that has formed numerous recordings at Abbey Road, magnifying and abstracting imagery of recording consoles and studio gear in x-ray, revealing the interior workings of those iconic instruments.
All the nominated and successful pictures might be displayed on the partitions of the Amphi Corridor at London’s Royal Albert Hall from 22 October till 3 November, permitting attendees to see the pictures in close-up. In addition, there might be a particular open day on Saturday 25 October between 10am and 4.30pm permitting free entry to most people.
An extra exhibition in November at Outernet London will go deeper into the 2025 shortlisted entries offering music and humanities followers with a wider choice of pictures to find.
Last month, Abbey Road introduced the legendary Dutch photographer, filmmaker, and music video director Anton Corbijn because the recipient of this yr’s ICON award. Born in Strijen in 1955, Anton Corbijn found images via his love for music whereas nonetheless in highschool within the Netherlands. He used his father’s digicam for his first pictures at an open-air live performance in 1972, earlier than shifting from stage images to portrait images, initially solely portraits of musicians. Anton moved to London in 1979 to pursue his love of music and images and is right this moment broadly thought to be probably the most influential photographers, each on this planet of music and on this planet of portraiture images.
Some of Anton’s best-known images topics embrace: Tom Waits, David Bowie, Kurt Cobain, Ian Curtis, Clint Eastwood, Bryan Adams, Cameron Diaz, Miles Davis, Frank Sinatra, William S. Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg, Joni Mitchell, Robert De Niro, Gerhard Richter, Ai Weiwei, and Lucian Freud. He can be thought-about to be the ‘house’ photographer of each U2, taking pictures them for 43 years, and Depeche Mode, with whom he has been working for nearly as lengthy.
Abbey Road Music Photography Awards Winners 2025:
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Making Music – Jordan Curtis Hughes – Matty Healy, The 1975
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Live Music – Ruby Boland – MAY-A
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Music Moment of the Year (supported by Outernet London) – Kirby Gladstein – Lana Del Rey
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Underground Scenes – Adam Ziegenhals – Unabomb
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Emerging Photographer of the Year(supported by adidas) – Melissa Gardner – Lava La Rue
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Festivals – Inès Ziouane – Festival d’été de Québec
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Portrait – Alec Castillo – Adam Amram
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Guest class: Club Culture – Connor Baker – Glitterbox, Hï Ibiza membership room
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Judges’ Choice – Platon – Nile Rodgers
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Lifetime Achievement – David Bailey CBE
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ICON – Anton Corbijn