Photographer Masayoshi Sukita to obtain Abbey Road Music Lifetime Achievement Award

Sukita is the second-ever recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award, following David Bailey CBE, who acquired it final yr. Sukita is finest recognized for his long-running forty-four-year collaboration with David Bowie and for capturing the picture that served as the quilt of Bowie’s 1977 album Heroes. Many of his images are featured within the “DAVID BOWIE IS” exhibition on the V&A Museum, London, along with solo exhibitions which have been held in Japan, England, France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Australia and the USA.

Sukita has additionally photographed different distinguished artists throughout his profession, together with Iggy Pop, Marc Bolan, Joe Strummer, Yellow Magic Orchestra, and David Sylvian. “It is a big honour for me to receive the Lifetime Achievement award at the Abbey Road Music Photography Awards,” he says. “I am very pleased to be a part of the history of photography. I will keep working on photography, and hope people will continue to enjoy my work.”

“Masayoshi Sukita is without doubt one of the true visionaries of music images,” says Mark Robertson, Abbey Road’s Director of Marketing & Creative. “His photographs haven’t solely documented a few of the most influential artists of our time, they’ve helped outline how we see them. Sukita created images which have turn out to be a part of cultural historical past, with work that’s timeless, intimate and immediately recognisable, demonstrating the facility of images to form the identification of artists and whole eras.”

“His influence and legacy continue to inspire across music, fashion and visual culture,” he continues. “We are honoured to have fun Masayoshi Sukita with the Lifetime Achievement award at this yr’s Abbey Road Music Photography Awards, recognising a lifetime spent elevating music images into an artwork type.”

The judging panel for the 2026 Abbey Road Music Photography Awards contains Head Judge and co-founder, British photographer, writer, and movie director Rankin (Madonna, Bjork, Miley Cyrus), guitarist and particular visitor choose Nile Rodgers, singer-songwriter RAYE, Måneskin vocalist Damiano David, photographers Platon, Dean Chalkley, Dennis Morris, and Jackie Lee Young, Abbey Road’s Producer In Residence Kid Harpoon, English Teacher singer Lily Fontaine, earlier MPAs finalist Phoebe Fox, Japanese-American singer-songwriter Hikaru Utada, and visitor choose Simon Wheatley. This yr, Abbey Road acquired over 24,500 submissions from forty completely different international locations.