Abbey Road Music Photography Awards 2026: Finalists Revealed as Submissions Hit Record High
Abbey Road Studios has announced the finalists for the fifth edition of its Music Photography Awards, with over 24,500 submissions from 40 countries — a 25 percent increase on last year's entries. The awards ceremony takes place on 24 September 2026 at Abbey Road Studios in London, where all category winners will be revealed. (Rolling Stone)
The judging panel for 2026 includes singer-songwriter RAYE and guitarist-producer Nile Rodgers, with photographer Rankin serving as head judge. Brooklyn-based photographer Ebru Yildiz, known for her work with Interpol and Sharon Van Etten, sits on the shortlisting panel alongside Ped Millichamp, Head of Design at The Standard. (Abbey Road Music Photography Awards)
Japanese photographer Masayoshi Sukita will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award. Sukita's decades-spanning career includes his celebrated portraits of David Bowie, and Abbey Road confirmed the honour on 21 July 2026. (Rolling Stone)
Robert Bayley, whose photographs of the Ramones and the punk scene of 1970s New York became defining images of the era, is nominated in the ICON category.
Finalists span five competitive categories. In Music Moment of the Year — a category that rewards a single captured instant rather than a staged shoot — the shortlist includes Harriet T K Bols and Joshua Halling for separate shots of Oasis, Jenn Devereaux for Kendrick Lamar, Jessie Morgan for Lambrini Girls, and Jack Oliver for Charli XCX.
The Portrait category finalists are Frances Carter for Billie Marten, Jamie-Lee Culver for Aynjel, Wanda Martin for Billy Idol, Daniel Rojas for Ho99o9, and Manuel Vazquez for Warren Ellis.
Live Music finalists feature Charlie Barclay Harris for Fontaines D.C., Rhys Bennett for Battlesnake, Lewis Evans for Oasis, Tom Pallant for Yungblud, and Rico Suhr for Dr. VENUS.
The Judges Choice category — where each panel member champions a photographer of their choosing — includes Matt Auger, Carlos Avendano, Scarlett Carlos Clarke, Autumn de Wilde for Florence + The Machine, Angus Jenner for Oasis, Sacha Lecca for FKA twigs, and Tom Pallant for Yungblud. Lecca, a Rolling Stone staff photographer, also serves as the awards' Chief Shortlister and Global Ambassador. His nominated images capture FKA twigs performing at the Ladyland Festival. (Rolling Stone)
Oasis looms large across multiple categories this year, with the band appearing in Music Moment of the Year, Live Music, and Judges Choice — reflecting the intense photographic interest around their 2025 reunion activity. Charli XCX and Yungblud each appear as finalists in two categories.
The awards have run since 2022 and are delivered by DHL. Entries for the 2026 edition opened on 19 May and closed on 30 June. Last year's nominees featured images of Chappell Roan, Lana Del Rey, Tyler the Creator, Pulp, and The 1975, among others. (Abbey Road Studios)
All winners will be announced at the ceremony on 24 September. (Abbey Road Music Photography Awards)
