Nominees for Music Photography Awards 2025

The Abbey Road Music Photography Awards 2025 have announced the nominees for this year’s prestigious awards, which champion and celebrate the art of music photography. These global awards, which showcase the best work from photographers around the world, highlight the creativity and vision that shape the music world through the lens.

This year, over 20,000 images from 30 different countries were submitted. The public vote for the Music Moment of the Year category has also opened, leading up to the awards ceremony on October 2nd. This year’s nominees include some of the biggest names in music, with images featuring Chappell Roan, Lana Del Rey, Charli XCX, Tyler the Creator, Pulp, The 1975, Maggie Rogers, Fontaines D.C., Doja Cat, and Burna Boy, among many others.

New Categories and Guest Category for 2025

For the first time in 2025, two new categories have been introduced to the awards: Portrait and Festivals. These categories are a nod to the diverse forms of music photography, expanding the scope of the awards. The guest category this year is Club Culture, celebrating images from any year that capture the energy and atmosphere of club scenes and nightlife culture.

Exhibition at Outernet London

In an exciting partnership with Outernet London, the nominees’ photos will be on display in London’s immersive entertainment district from September 19th–23rd, 2025. The Now Pop One space will host 40 images from the eight open categories, and visitors will have the chance to vote for their favorite photo in the Music Moment of the Year category via interactive screens. The exhibition is free to attend, making it accessible to everyone who wishes to explore the stunning images of music captured around the world.

Categories and Nominees

Portrait (New for 2025)

Alec Castillo (Adam Amran)
Lauren Luxenberg (Central Cee)

Festivals (New for 2025)

Jez Pennington (Enter Shikari)
Inès Ziouane (J Balvin)

Music Moment of the Year (Supported by Outernet)

Kirby Gladstein (Lana Del Rey)
Lauren Krohn (Pulp)

Emerging Photographer of the Year (Supported by adidas)

Martin (La Dispute)
Melissa Gardner (Lava La Rue)

Making Music

Jordan Curtis Hughes (Matty Healy)
Lewis Evans (Inhaler)

Underground Scenes

Geoffrey Nicholson (Spunk)
Jen Amelia Veitch (Hidden, Manchester)

Live

Greg Noire (Doja Cat)
Phoebe Fox (The Last Dinner Party)

Club Culture (Guest Category)

Jason Palmer (Carl Cox)
Jeanie Jean (Slimelight)

Judge’s Choice Nominees

In the Judge’s Choice category, selected by the panel of judges, the following photographers have been nominated:

Elliot Hensford (Doechii)
Fanny Viguier (KARABA)
Luis Perez (Tyler the Creator)
Michael Drummond (Doja Cat)
Phoebe Fox (Robert Smith)
Platon (Nile Rodgers)
Ronan Park (Lucia & the Best Boys)
Pooneh Ghana (Fontaines D.C.)
Reuben Bastienne-Lewis (Tom Misch)

What the Judges Are Saying

MPA Head Judge Rankin shared his excitement about the entries:

“This year’s MPA judging has been an incredible experience from start to finish. The standard of entries has been truly inspiring – from the creativity in the Festival category to the energy and innovation in the Club Culture submissions. Several pieces completely blew me away.”

Mark Robertson, Abbey Road’s Director of Marketing & Creative, added:

“The level of creativity, vision, and storytelling made this one of the most inspiring years yet. We’re especially grateful to our shortlisting panel for reviewing every single image and to our judges who worked late into the night debating the final selection.”

The Icon Award: Anton Corbijn

This year’s ICON award recipient is the legendary Dutch photographer Anton Corbijn, widely regarded as one of the most influential photographers in music and portraiture. Corbijn, known for his iconic photographs of musicians and his pioneering work in the music video industry, continues to inspire with his work, spanning decades and genres.

The Future of Music Photography

The Abbey Road Music Photography Awards 2025 celebrates the power of music photography in shaping culture, offering a platform for photographers to share their work with a wider audience. These awards recognize the skill, creativity, and passion that go into capturing moments in music history, making it clear that photography is an art form central to how we experience music.

For more information and to cast your vote for Music Moment of the Year, visit the MPA website.

The Abbey Road Music Photography Awards 2025 highlight the extraordinary talent of music photographers worldwide, bringing them into the spotlight and helping shape the future of music photography as a recognized art form.