Abbey Road Photography Awards Announce 2026 Winners

Abbey Road held its fifth annual Abbey Road Music Photography awards final evening in London and introduced its 2026 winners.

Joshua Halling received Music Moment of the Year for his {photograph} of Oasis followers, which was shot in the course of the band’s 2025 present in Buenos Aires. Gabrielle Ravet received for Behind the Scenes, whereas Tom Pallant received for Live Music. Frances Carter received for Portrait, AF Cortés received for Underground Scenes, and Giulia Spadafora received Festivals class. Dara Petrova was named Emerging Photographer of the Year for {a photograph} of a techno rave Laboratorium in Ukraine.

The Judges’ Choice class went to Angus Jenner for his picture of Oasis, taken on the opening evening of their reunion tour. Wayne Large received 50 Years of Punk for his picture of members of assorted punk bands in 1979, taken in Castle Gardens Park, Leicester.

Japanese photographer Masayoshi Sukita was offered with the Lifetime Achievement Award in the course of the ceremony. Best identified for his 44-year collaboration with David Bowie, Sukita took the enduring cowl shot for Bowie’s 1977 Heroes album. He can also be identified for photographing Iggy Pop, Marc Bolan, Joe Strummer, Yellow Magic Orchestra, and David Sylvian. Nile Rodgers accepted the award on Sukita’s behalf.

American photographer Roberta Bayley obtained this 12 months’s ICON award. She was identified for her work chronicling the early punk rock scene, capturing artists like Iggy Pop, the Ramones, Debbie Harry and Blondie, Richard Hell, the Sex Pistols, and the Clash. Platon accepted the award on Bayley’s behalf.

The awards have been hosted by Lauren Laverne and featured performances by Kuleeangee and Tom A. Smith.

“Last night’s Abbey Road Music Photography Awards was a wonderful celebration of the extraordinary talent, creativity, and craft of music photography,” Sally Davies, managing director of Abbey Road Studios, stated in a press release. “The standard of work was exceptional, and it was inspiring to see such a rich mix of perspectives and voices from photographers across the globe.”

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She added, “Abbey Road has always been a place where music, creativity and culture come together, so it feels very special to have created a platform that celebrates the photographers who capture that world through their own unique lens. Over the past five years, the community has embraced the MPAs with such warmth, generosity and passion, so we’re incredibly grateful for that. The greatest music photography does so much more than document a moment—it captures something of the artist, the audience and the time we’re living in. These are the images that become part of our shared cultural memory, and it’s a privilege for Abbey Road to celebrate the people who create them.”

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The Abbey Road Music Photography Awards, which have been working since 2022, obtained greater than 24,500 submissions from 40 completely different nations in 2026, 25 % greater than final 12 months. Rolling Stone’s personal Sacha Lecca was nominated within the Judges Choice class for his pictures of FKA twigs throughout her Ladyland Festival efficiency. Lecca additionally presides because the Chief Shortlister and Global Ambassador of the competition.

The judging panel for this 12 months’s Music Photography Awards was led by British photographer, writer, and movie director Rankin, and likewise included Nile Rodgers, Raye, Damiano David, Platon, Dean Chalkley, Dennis Morris, Kid Harpoon, Lily Fontaine, Jackie Lee Young, Hikaru Utada, and Simon Wheatley.