ABBEY ROAD ANNOUNCES LAUNCH OF THE HIGHLY ANTICIPATED FIFTH EDITION OF ITS CELEBRATED
MUSIC PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS 2026
– DELIVERED BY DHL
AWARDS CEREMONY WILL TAKE PLACE ON THURSDAY 24 SEPTEMBER
RANKIN, NILE RODGERS, RAYE, DAMIANO DAVID, PLATON, DENNIS MORRIS, KID HARPOON, LILY FONTAINE, DEAN CHALKLEY, PHOEBE FOX, JACKIE LEE YOUNG, HIKARU UTADA, AND SIMON WHEATLEY ARE
THIS YEAR’S JUDGING PANEL
ROBERTA BAYLEY IS ANNOUNCED AS THE RECIPIENT OF
THE 2026 ICON AWARD
THE ABBEY ROAD MUSIC PHOTOGRAPHY FESTIVAL ARRIVES IN NEW YORK BETWEEN 25 – 30 MAY
The Ramones by Roberta Bayley
[London, Tuesday 19 May 2026] Abbey Road Studios has today announced the highly anticipated fifth edition of its celebrated Abbey Road Music Photography Awards, which is now open for submissions. The MPAs is the only global music photography competition – championing, empowering and showcasing the worldwide community of music photographers, and is supported by headline partner DHL. The MPAs is free to enter and open to all levels of experience. The winners of this year’s MPAs will be revealed at the official awards celebration on Thursday 24 September at Abbey Road.
Speaking about the fifth edition of the Abbey Road Music Photography Awards, the studio’s Managing Director Sally Davies, says: “There’s something incredibly powerful about music photography, it captures a feeling, a moment, a piece of culture that might otherwise be lost. Those images stay with us and often become part of how we remember music itself. For me, the Music Photography Accelerator is about making sure we’re giving equal recognition to the creatives behind the lens. It’s a platform to celebrate talent at every level, and to create opportunities for photographers to develop, connect and be seen. Reaching our fifth anniversary is a proud moment. It speaks to the strength of the community around the programme, and to the importance of continuing to support and champion the next generation of photographers.”
The judging panel is led by MPA head judge and co-founder, British photographer, publisher, and film director Rankin (Madonna, Bjork, Miley Cyrus), alongside music icon and special guest judge Nile Rodgers, seven time BRIT Awards winner RAYE, acclaimed Italian singer-songwriter and Måneskin frontman Damiano David, world-renowned portrait and documentary photographer Platon (Barack Obama, Vladimir Putin, Muhammad Ali), music, fashion and culture photographer Dean Chalkley (Liam Gallagher, Daft Punk), Dennis Morris (Bob Marley, The Sex Pistols) who captured some of the most defining music moments of all time, and Abbey Road’s multi award-winning Producer In Residence Kid Harpoon (Harry Styles, Miley Cyrus, Kings of Leon). Frontwoman of the Mercury Prize winning English Teacher, Lily Fontaine, previous MPAs finalist Phoebe Fox (Arctic Monkeys, Florence + The Machine), U.S. photographer Jackie Lee Young (Leon Bridges, Khruangbin), Japanese-American singer-songwriter and cultural icon, Hikaru Utada, and guest judge Simon Wheatley (Don’t Call Me Urban) complete the diverse and talented group of judges for 2026.
The shortlisting panel of photographic and creative experts is led by MPA Chief Shortlister & Global Ambassador Sacha Lecca (Rolling Stone U.S.), with London based photographer and previous MPAs winner Andreia Lemos (Wolf Alice, Sleaford Mods, Amyl and the Sniffers), NYC based music and portrait photographer Rich Fury (Madison Square Garden / Sphere), and Bristol based Khali Ackford (Turnstile, Kneecap). Brooklyn based photographer Ebru Yildiz, (Interpol, Sharon Van Etten) and The Standard’s Head of Design, Ped Millichamp complete the shortlisting panel.
Speaking about this year’s judging panel, MPA head judge Rankin says: “It’s a brilliant milestone for the MPAs to reach its fifth year, celebrating the year’s defining music images and championing exceptional photographers from across the global music photography community. With another stellar judging panel joining us, I can’t wait to get stuck in and review the 2026 submissions. What are you waiting for?!”
California native and New York City resident Roberta Bayley (Iggy Pop, Blondie/Debbie Harry, The Ramones) has been confirmed as the recipient of this year’s ICON award. Arriving in New York in the spring of 1974, Bayley soon began working the door at New York’s legendary punk club, CBGBs. She started photographing the musicians who played there and soon went to work as chief photographer for Punk magazine, which gave the movement its name. She is one of the main photographers to visually chronicle the early punk rock scene, from 1975 through the ‘80s. Among the artists Bayley has photographed are Iggy Pop, the Ramones, Debbie Harry and Blondie, Richard Hell, Elvis Costello, the Sex Pistols, Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers, Ian Dury, Brian Eno, Nick Lowe, The Damned, The Clash, The Dead Boys, X-Ray Spex, Squeeze, and a reunited New York Dolls. Bayley’s photographs are featured in countless books and magazines on punk. She co-wrote Patti Smith: An Unauthorized Biography (Simon & Schuster, 1996) and published her own book on Blondie titled Blondie Unseen (Plexus, 2006).
Speaking about receiving this year’s ICON award, Roberta says: “I am very honored to be receiving the Abbey Road ICON award, especially to be in the company of such great photographers as David Bailey, Anton Corbijn and Jill Furmanovsky. This New York punk has come a long way!!”
Launched in 2022, the Abbey Road Music Photography Awards was rapidly embraced by the photography community and has grown into a year-round, multi-layered platform for growth and opportunity. The awards now form the leading element of the Abbey Road Music Photography Accelerator, which encompasses events, exhibitions, workshops, learning resources and much more; all designed to champion and empower photography talent.
Abbey Road is thrilled to announce DHL as the headline partner of the Abbey Road Music Photography Accelerator, marking an exciting expansion of their existing five-year collaboration. Building on a shared commitment to supporting creative talent, the partnership broadens its focus from empowering artists to championing a global community of music photographers within the Accelerator. DHL will enable international growth of the MPA, creating new opportunities for photographers worldwide. Together, Abbey Road and DHL will share music moments from local scenes across the globe, connecting fans on every continent with the stories and images that define music culture today.
Elliott Santon, Head of Global Sponsorships, DHL Express, explains why DHL is partnering with the Abbey Road Music Photography Accelerator and Awards: “We are delighted to extend our long standing partnership with Abbey Road by becoming the headline partner of the Music Photography Accelerator. Abbey Road is a globally recognised powerhouse with an unparalleled ability to connect talent to international opportunity. As a brand whose core purpose is ‘connecting people, improving lives’ and enabling global exchange, this partnership is a natural fit for DHL. It allows us to support emerging creative professionals with access, infrastructure and a pathway to reach audiences around the world, while reinforcing the strength and longevity of our relationship with one of the most respected names in music.”
New for 2026 is the Abbey Road Music Photography Festival which will take place in New York for its inaugural edition from Monday 25 to Saturday 30 May. The Music Photography Festival is free to access and will include professional development opportunities, ranging from conversations, masterclasses and practical workshops, to mentoring, portfolio reviews, mixers and more, all designed to equip photographers with tools, inspiration & knowledge to fuel their craft, and connect the NYC community. Alongside this, a free exhibition will showcase standout images from the past four years of the Awards, offering music and photography fans the opportunity to discover the stories behind this incredible body of work. Among the immersive experiences, the Festival will offer photo passes to some of the biggest New York gigs of the week including Chet Faker, Tempers and Dillon Francis, while workshops and conversations include Nile Rodgers, Sophie Elgort, Roberta Bayley, Sacha Lecca, Jordan Curtis Hughes, Todd Owyoung, Pooneh Ghana, Clay Patrick McBride, Jackie Lee Young, Rich Fury, A.F. Cortes, and more to be announced.
Speaking about the Abbey Road Music Photography Festival, the studio’s Director of Marketing & Creative Mark Robertson says: “What a thrill to be able to launch our first ever Music Photography Festival in New York! It’s part of our wider mission to give back and create opportunity for photographers, artists and creatives of all levels. Thanks to our partners at DHL we can deliver an exhibition of some of the most awe-inspiring images that the MPAs has discovered over the last four years, as well as present workshops, conversations and experiences to inspire and empower the photography community.”
This year’s MPAs categories include eight open entry categories and two invited, in which the winners are nominated and chosen by this year’s judging panel and Abbey Road. Images entered for the open categories must have been taken in 2025, while entries to this year’s guest category, 50 Years of Punk, can be taken in any year.
This year’s open categories:
- Festivals – supported by DHL (Headline Partner)
- Emerging Photographer of the Year – supported by adidas
- Music Moment of the Year – supported by Outernet London
- Live Music – supported by Hydro Flask
- Behind The Scenes (BTS) – supported by Abbey Road
- Portrait
- Underground Scenes
- Guest Category – 50 Years of Punk
This year’s Invited Categories:
- Judges Choice
- ICON
THE AWARDS’ OPEN CATEGORIES
Festivals
Our Festivals category celebrates the energy, emotion, and atmosphere that make festivals unforgettable. We want to see the images that bring festival culture to life – the connection between artist and audience, the stories unfolding in the crowd, the raw and unscripted beauty that defines festival season. Festivals create space for everyone and every experience is different. This is about community. Movement. Shared moments. Show us what makes festivals so special around the world.
Emerging Photographer of the Year
Celebrating the next wave of music photographers – those at the very start of their professional journey, building their portfolios and carving out their place in the industry. This category is open to photographers who are just beginning to secure press passes and work in professional music photography. If you are still developing your style and finding your confidence, this is for you. We are not looking for the biggest names or the most famous acts. We are looking for technique, imagination, storytelling and a distinct creative voice. The strength of your portfolio matters more than your access.
Music Moment of the Year
This category celebrates the images that defined music in 2025. The moments that made you stop. Made you think. Made you feel. This is a visual statement of the year in music. A moment frozen in time, capturing the mood, the energy and the cultural pulse of 2025. It could be a triumphant headline performance, a powerful statement, an intimate onstage exchange, a historic reunion, a breakthrough artist stepping into the spotlight, or a quiet moment that unexpectedly resonated around the world. Could your image be remembered for generations to come?
Live Music
From the electricity of a smaller venue, to the expanse of a symphony hall, Live Music celebrates the images that show us what performing live truly means. The die-hard fans. The late-night ticket queues. The outfits planned for weeks. Cheers and tears. Sweat and sways. Moments of connection. We’re looking for photographs that capture the emotional pull of live performance.
Behind The Scenes (BTS)
Behind the Scenes celebrates the unseen moments that shape music culture. From writing lyrics at home, to rehearsals and soundchecks. From producers at the desk to runners carrying microphones, this category captures music in the making. We’re looking for: Raw moments, creative collaboration, authentic process, imperfect environments.
Portrait
Some of the most powerful images in music history are portraits. They hold more than a likeness and capture spirit, essence, and personality in a single frame. A portrait in music can take many forms. It could be a candid moment on a tour bus, an artist getting ready backstage, or a bold conceptual setup in the studio. There are no strict rules. Portraits can be stylised or spontaneous, polished or raw. What matters is presence – the ability of the image to reveal something true about the artist and the world they’re creating.
Underground Scenes
Culture starts underground. Underground Scenes celebrates the grassroots movements and subcultural music scenes shaping sound around the world. From gothic and industrial, to noise rock, grime, Afrobeats, Amapiano, queer club scenes, and visual kei. This category is about the communities building culture from the ground up. We want images that document: DIY spaces, intimate crowds, subcultural identity, independent spirit, raw energy.
Guest Category – 50 Years of Punk
This year’s Guest Category celebrates 50 Years of Punk – a movement that reshaped music and culture and continues to influence generations today. Punk is more than a genre. It’s an attitude. A refusal to conform. Born in small venues and DIY spaces, it challenged convention and gave a voice to those on the margins. Over five decades, it has shaped sound, style, politics and identity around the world. This category invites images from any year that capture the true spirit of punk – its rebellion and sense of community. From iconic performances to intimate basement shows, we’re looking for photographs that embody its enduring impact. Dig through your archives and revisit the gigs that changed everything.
THE AWARDS’ INVITED CATEGORIES
Judges’ Choice
Judges’ Choice spotlights an image that stands out for its creativity, impact and storytelling – personally selected by our expert panel of judges from across music, photography, and the wider creative community. This award celebrates an image that captures the true essence of a music moment in a powerful and unforgettable way.
ICON
A special honour in recognition of a photographer whose impact and contribution to the art of music photography is unparalleled. The recipient of the 2026 ICON Award is legendary punk photographer, Roberta Bayley, best known for her images of Iggy Pop, Blondie/Debbie Harry, and The Ramones.
About Abbey Road
Abbey Road is the home of music-making. We are the world’s first and most iconic recording studio, and a leader in sonic innovation, with the experience and craft to bring out the best music in any vision or idea.
For 95 years, we’ve welcomed the artists who have shaped music and popular culture. From the greats – The Beatles, Fela Kuti, Pink Floyd, Kate Bush, Yehudi Menuhin, Massive Attack, Amy Winehouse, Oasis, Nick Cave, Stevie Wonder and Shirley Bassey, to the legends of today – Lady Gaga, Little Simz, The Smile, Florence, Dave, Sheku Kanneh-Mason, Frank Ocean, Ezra Collective, Sam Smith, Morgan Wallen and Stormzy.
Once a nine-bedroom house, we’re now a global community of artists, experts, inventors, and engineers, whose technology and expertise can be accessed from anywhere in the world. Alongside our studios and writing spaces, we work to develop groundbreaking technology that continues to change the future of music-making. Through our learning programmes and workshops, we’re creating one-off experiences and empowering a new generation of talent.
This home has created soundtracks to nights in, nights out, heartbreaks, and first loves. Epic adventures and life-affirming stories. We’ve been home to the greatest film music of the last 45 years. From Raiders of the Lost Ark, the Star Wars and Harry Potter movies, and The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies, to Barbie, Gravity, The Shape of Water, Tar, Wakanda Forever, Frankenstein, and all the Marvel titles. Across genres, generations, and continents, Abbey Road helps music makers move the world. Come on in.
