Photo credit: Rhys Bennett - Battlesnake (Finalist in Live Music - supported by Hydro Flask)
Abbey Road Reveals the Finalists for the Highly Anticipated Fifth Edition of Its Celebrated Music Photography Awards 2026 - Delivered by DHL
VOTING FOR ‘MUSIC MOMENT OF THE YEAR’ NOW OPEN
AWARDS CEREMONY WILL TAKE PLACE ON THURSDAY 24 SEPTEMBER
[8 Sept 2026, London] Abbey Road Studios has today announced the finalists for the highly anticipated fifth edition of its celebrated Music Photography Awards 2026 (MPAs), delivered by DHL. Over 24,500 images were submitted from across 42 different countries for this year’s awards. Among the global artists that feature within the finalist images this year are Oasis, Charli xcx, Florence + The Machine, FKA Twigs, Fontaines D.C., Ho99o9, Yungblud, Kendrick Lamar, Tame Impala, Billy Idol, Lambrini Girls, Warren Ellis, Sombr, Billie Marten, Amyl and the Sniffers, and Geese.
The MPAs is Abbey Road’s flagship music photography competition, celebrating the art of music photography while elevating and empowering the talents behind the lens, as part of the studios’ mission to create opportunity and spotlight creativity at all levels.
For Music Moment Of The Year, supported for the fourth year by Outernet London, the only category voted for by the public, the finalists are: Harriet T K Bols with her photo of Oasis sharing a quiet moment at their penultimate Wembley show; Jenn Devereaux’s image of Kendrick Lamar at the Super Bowl Halftime Show; Jack Oliver’s snapshot of Charli xcx burning down the brat flag at Glastonbury Festival; Jessie Morgan’s shot of an energetic Lambrini Girls gig; and Joshua Halling, capturing an Oasis fan moment in the middle of a swirling, chaotic crowd. The winner of the Music Moment Of The Year category will be decided by public vote, which is now open here.
Finalists’ photos are on display at Outernet London from 1.30pm today until 14 September, with Music Moment of the Year on-screen voting also available at the exhibition.
Elsewhere in the open categories, finalists for Portrait include Daniel Rojas (The OGM from Ho99o9, outside Echo Park in LA); Frances Carter (Billie Marten, on horseback during her first trip to New Zealand); Wanda Martin (Billy Idol, at Chateau Marmont in LA); Manuel Vazquez (Warren Ellis, with his dogs Piglet and Larry); and Jamie-Lee Culver (dreamy portrait of musician and DJ, Aynjel).
Finalists in Festivals, supported by DHL, feature Giulia Spadafora (Glastonbury Festival - Audience); Viktória Erdős (Palaye Royale, shot in Budapest); Danny North (Download Festival, Humans of Download); Ian Zandi (The Killing Floors, at Echo Park Rising); and Jake Zaoutis (Hey, Nothing, at Shaky Knees Festival).
A nod to the grassroots movements and subcultural music scenes, Underground Scenes finalists include Suzanne Phoenix, capturing Australian punk rock band Private Function at the final Gold Street party before demolition; AF Cortes’ audience shot at secret KARTEL show on the abandoned train tracks in Brooklyn; James Streiker (Rosanna, captured in London); Andrea Gonar (Ruido en casa, photographed in Mexico); and Geoffrey Nicholson (Spunk, shot in LA).
Emerging Photographer of the Year, supported by adidas for the fifth year, features finalists Dara Petrova’s Techno rave Laboratorium in Ukraine, a place where military personnel socialise and civilians relieve stress; Frances Carter’s image of Gin Wigmore, photographed for her album Beautiful Mess; Bryce Glenn’s image of Sombr, for his ‘12 to 12’ artwork; Isaac Wheatley’s shot of Mikael, in promotion for his musical event ‘LAVIDAESUNA’; and Natalia Peralta (Nicholas y los fumadores, shot in Colombia).
Rico Suhr (Dr.VENUS, at UFO Club in Tokyo) becomes the first ever MPAs finalist from Japan in the Live Music category, supported by Hydro Flask. This is alongside finalists Charlie Barclay Harris, and his image of Fontaines D.C. on stage in Ireland; Lewis Evans, capturing Liam Gallagher during an Oasis show; Rhys Bennett, shooting Battlesnake at last year’s Download Festival; and Tom Pallant’s photo of Yungblud and his bassist, Silke Blansjaar, engulfed in fog performing in Luxembourg.
This year’s guest category at the MPAs celebrates Punk, marking 50 years since the underground movement reshaped music, fashion and youth culture around the world. For 50 Years of Punk, images from any year that captured the true spirit of punk could be entered. Finalists include Wayne Large (members of various punk bands); Jamie Wdziekonski (Amyl and the Sniffers); Joe Hughes (Sonic Youth); Keith Marlowe (The Black Halos); and Gerard McNamara (Bauhaus, Peter Murphy).
Behind the Scenes, supported by Abbey Road, captures the unseen moments that shape music culture. The finalists in this category are Gabrielle Ravet, with her photo of My Chemical Romance fans readying themselves for the first show of the Long Live The Black Parade tour in Seattle; Lewis Evans’ candid of Geese in their New York studio space; Sophie Buckley on set of Black Honey’s music video for ‘Insulin’; Olly Bromidge, backstage with Matt Molotov, post-gig in Madrid; and Caity Krone, capturing a moment of solitude for Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker on set of the ‘Loser’ music video.
Personally selected by the 2026 judging panel, the Judges Choice category spotlights images that stand out for their creativity, impact and storytelling. The finalists are Scarlett Carlos Clarke (Self Esteem’s A Complicated Woman album cover); Autumn de Wilde (Florence + The Machine’s Everybody Scream album cover); Angus Jenner (first night of the Oasis Live ‘25 Tour); Sacha Lecca (FKA Twigs for Rolling Stone magazine); Tom Pallant (Yungblud’s Idols album cover); Matt Auger (Substandards gig at The Fenton in Leeds), and Carlos Avendano – Lisa Alvarado (in collaboration with The Fabric Workshop and Museum).
Head Judge Rankin says: “2026 feels like the strongest year yet for the Abbey Road Music Photography Awards. The quality of the work entered was genuinely exceptional – not just technically brilliant, but full of energy, emotion and a real point of view. Judging was incredibly tough. Getting down to just five finalists in each category meant leaving out so many images that deserved to be recognised, which says everything about the standard this year. Music photography is in a really exciting place right now, and these awards are a brilliant snapshot of that.”
Abbey Road’s Managing Director Sally Davies adds: “It’s been wonderful to see how warmly the music photography community has embraced the MPAs, and to watch that community grow year after year. The extraordinary response reminds us just how much brilliant talent there is behind the lens, and how important it is to create opportunities for that work to be seen and celebrated. From the awards themselves, to our first Music Photography Festival in New York, we’re incredibly proud to be bringing people together around this unique art form and to see the MPAs becoming a genuinely global celebration of music photography.”
Back in May, Abbey Road announced California native and New York City resident Roberta Bayley as the recipient of this year’s ICON award. Through working the door at New York’s legendary punk club, CBGBs, Bayley 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, capturing artists including Iggy Pop, the Ramones, Debbie Harry and Blondie, Richard Hell, the Sex Pistols, The Damned, The Clash, Squeeze, a reunited New York Dolls, and many many more.
In July, Abbey Road shared that legendary Japanese photographer Masayoshi Sukita will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at this year’s awards. Best known for his long-term 44-year collaboration with David Bowie, Sukita took the iconic cover shoot for Bowie’s Heroes album, released in 1977. He is also known for era-defining images of Iggy Pop, Marc Bolan, Joe Strummer, Yellow Magic Orchestra and David Sylvian.
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.
Please find the full list of finalist images for the MPAs 2026 below.
Portrait
Frances Carter - Billie Marten
Jamie-Lee Culver - Aynjel
Wanda Martin - Billy Idol
Daniel Rojas - The OGM - Ho99o9
Manuel Vazquez - Warren Ellis
Festivals - supported by DHL (Headline Partner)
Viktória Erdős - Palaye Royale
Danny North - Download Festival, Humans of Download
Giulia Spadafora - Glastonbury Festival - Audience
Ian Zandi - The Killing Floors
Jake Zaoutis - Hey, Nothing
Music Moment of the Year - supported by Outernet London
Harriet T K Bols - Oasis
Jenn Devereaux – Kendrick Lamar
Joshua Halling - Oasis
Jessie Morgan - Lambrini Girls
Jack Oliver - Charli xcx
Emerging Photographer of the Year - supported by adidas
Frances Carter - Gin Wigmore
Bryce Glenn - Sombr
Natalia Peralta - Nicholas y los fumadores
Dara Petrova - Techno rave Laboratorium
Isaac Wheatley - Mikael
Behind The Scenes (BTS) - supported by Abbey Road
Olly Bromidge - Matt Molotov
Sophie Buckley - Black Honey
Lewis Evans - Geese
Caity Krone – Kevin Parker / Tame Impala
Gabrielle Ravet - My Chemical Romance fans
Underground Scenes
AF Cortes - Audience at Kartel Show
Andrea Gonar - Ruido en casa
Geoffrey Nicholson - Spunk
Suzanne Phoenix - Private Function at Gold Street
James Streiker - Rosanna
Live Music - supported by Hydro Flask
Charlie Barclay Harris - Fontaines D.C.
Rhys Bennett - Battlesnake
Lewis Evans - Oasis
Tom Pallant - Yungblud
Rico Suhr - Dr.VENUS
Guest category: 50 Years of Punk
Joe Hughes - Sonic Youth
Wayne Large - Members of various punk bands
Keith Marlowe - The Black Halos
Gerard McNamara - Bauhaus, Peter Murphy
Jamie Wdziekonski - Amyl and the Sniffers
Invited Categories (nominated and chosen by the judging panel):
Judges Choice
Matt Auger – Substandards
Carlos Avendano – Lisa Alvarado
Scarlett Carlos Clarke - Self Esteem
Autumn de Wilde - Florence + The Machine
Angus Jenner - Oasis
Sacha Lecca - FKA Twigs
Tom Pallant - Yungblud
ICON (previously announced)
Roberta Bayley
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT (previously announced)
Masayoshi Sukita