Abbey Road reveals the nominees for the Music Photography Awards 2025

09 September 2025 - Press release

PUBLIC VOTE NOW OPEN FOR ‘MUSIC MOMENT OF THE YEAR’ HERE 

THE AWARDS CEREMONY WILL TAKE PLACE AT ABBEY ROAD ON 2ND OCTOBER

 

Abbey Road Studios has today (9 September) announced the nominees for the Abbey Road Music Photography Awards 2025 – the only global music photography awards, championing, empowering and showcasing the worldwide community of music photographers.  

Over 20,000 images were submitted this year from 30 different countries. Two new categories were introduced for 2025 – Portrait and Festivals, while this year’s guest category is Club Culture, the latter of which celebrates images from any year. Among the artists included within this year’s nominated images are Chappell Roan, Lana Del Rey, Charli XCX, Tyler the Creator, Pulp, The 1975, Maggie Rogers, Fontaines D.C., Doja Cat and Burna Boy. 

Also announced today is the return of the MPA partnership with Outernet London, to exhibit photos from the 2025 Music Photography Awards nominees, within London’s premier immersive entertainment district. The exhibition will be free to attend and runs across 19 to 23 September, with all 40 images from the eight open categories on display in the Now Pop One space, adjacent to Charing Cross Road. Once again, visitors will be able to vote for their favourite photo in the Music Moment of the Year category via Outernet’s world-leading interactive screens. 

Voting for Music Moment of the Year is also open on the MPA website from today until 23 September, giving fans across the globe the chance to participate in the awards, while expanding on the MPA aim to gain further widespread recognition of the art of music photography and those behind the lens. Vote here. 

In the open categories, the nominees for Portrait (new for 2025) include previous MPA nominee Alec Castillo (Adam Amran) and Lauren Luxenberg (Central Cee), while nominees in Festivals (new for 2025) include Jez Pennington (Enter Shikari) and Inès Ziouane (J Balvin). Kirby Gladstein (Lana Del Rey) is nominated in Music Moment Of The Year supported by Outernet, alongside Lauren Krohn (Pulp), while Martin (La Dispute) and Melissa Gardner (Lava La Rue) are nominated in Emerging Photographer of the Year, supported by adidas. Jordan Curtis Hughes (Matty Healy) and Lewis Evans (Inhaler) are nominated in Making Music, with Geoffrey Nicholson (Spunk) and Jen Amelia Veitch (Hidden, Manchester) are nominated in Underground Scenes. Previous MPA winner Greg Noire (Doja Cat) is nominated in Live, alongside Phoebe Fox (The Last Dinner Party), while nominees for this year’s guest category, Club Culture include Jason Palmer (Carl Cox) and Jeanie Jean (Slimelight). 

In the Judges Choice category (chosen by the panel of judges), the nominees are Elliot Hensford (Doechii), Fanny Viguier (Keemy, Karaba, and Brieuc at LA CREOLE), Luis Perez (Tyler the Creator), Michael Drummond (Doja Cat), Phoebe Fox (Robert Smith), Platon (Nile Rodgers), Ronan Park (Lucia & the Best Boys) and Pooneh Ghana with two separate nominations for her work with Fontaines D.C.

Mark Robertson, Abbey Road’s Director of Marketing & Creative adds: “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, to the judges who worked late into the night debating the final selection, and to our friends at Outernet London for giving the shortlisted photographers an amazing platform for visibility. Most importantly, our thanks to the incredibly gifted community of photographers who continue to impress with their work and prove that music photography is a genuine art to be celebrated and plays a vital role in shaping culture."

Last month Abbey Road announced the legendary Dutch photographer, filmmaker, and music video director Anton Corbijn as the recipient of this year’s ICON award. Born in Strijen in 1955, Anton Corbijn discovered photography through his love for music while still at high school in the Netherlands. He used his father’s camera for his first photos at an open-air concert in 1972, before moving from stage photography to portrait photography, initially only portraits of musicians. Anton moved to London in 1979 to pursue his love of music and photography and is today widely regarded as one of the most influential photographers both in the world of music and in the world of portraiture photography. 

Some of Anton’s best-known photography subjects include: 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 is also considered to be the ‘house’ photographer of both U2, shooting them for almost 40 years, and Depeche Mode, whom he has been working with for almost as long. Anton has worked in film and video since 1983, when he was one of the first still photographers to direct music videos. He has since made approximately 80 music videos for, among others U2, Depeche Mode, Nirvana, Metallica, Nick Cave, Johnny Cash, Arcade Fire, Coldplay and The Killers. Over the last few years, Anton’s photography has been largely focused on painters, such as Ai Weiwei, Gerhard Richter, Anselm Kiefer, Lucian Freud, Peter Doig, Marlene Dumas, Damien Hirst and John Baldessari, in a series called ‘Inwards and Onwards’.

 

Please find the full list of shortlisted images for the MPA below. 

Open for submissions:  

Portrait (new for 2025)

Alec Castillo - Adam Amran

Alice Backham - Kayla Grace

Annie Noelker - Benny Blanco

Lauren Luxenberg - Central Cee

Muriel Margaret - Donna Missal

 

Festivals (new for 2025)

Inès Ziouane - J Balvin

Jacob R Mulka - Dimitri Minakakis

Jez Pennington - Enter Shikari

Thomas Ranner - Nova Rock Festival

Tone Verswijvel - Maria Iskariot

 

Music Moment of the Year supported by Outernet

Josh Druding - Chappell Roan

Kirby Gladstein - Lana Del Rey

Lauren Krohn - Pulp

Michael - Burna Boy

Pupat Chenaksara - Charli XCX

 

Emerging Photographer of the Year supported by adidas

Chérie Hansson - AIR

Frances Carter - Aubrie Mitchell

Lantz Martin - Ken Carson

Martin - La Dispute

Melissa Gardner - Lava La Rue

 

Making Music

Blair Kitchener - 18Fevers

Jordan Curtis Hughes - Matty Healy

Lewis Evans - Inhaler

Nicole Mago - Maggie Rogers

Olly Bromidge - Jimmi Herbert

 

Underground Scenes

Adam Ziegenhals - Unabomb

Geoffrey Nicholson - Spunk

Jen Amelia Veitch - Hidden, Manchester

Magda Campagne - Retropxssy

RxAxLxF - Umojah Soundsystem

 

Live Music

Aidan Hicks - Channel Tres

Greg Noire - Doja Cat

Nicole Mago - Maggie Rogers

Phoebe Fox - The Last Dinner Party

Ruby Boland - MAY-A

 

Guest category: Club Culture

Connor Baker - Glitterbox

Gracie Hall - Redroom Halloween Party

Jason Palmer - Carl Cox

Jeanie Jean - Slimelight

Lilly Creightmore - Colombian LGBTQ+ Community

 

Invited Categories (nominated and chosen by the judging panel):

Judges Choice

Elliot Hensford - Doechii

Fanny Viguier - Keemy, Karaba, and Brieuc at LA CREOLE

Luis Perez - Tyler the Creator

Michael Drummond - Doja Cat

Phoebe Fox - Robert Smith

Platon - Nile Rodgers

Pooneh Ghana - Fontaines D.C.

Pooneh Ghana - Fontaines D.C.

Ronan Park - Lucia & the Best Boys

 

ICON (previously announced)

Anton Corbijn