Abbey Road Music Photography Awards 2025: The Winners

Abbey Road is celebrating the best in music photography over the last year. On Friday, the organization announced its list of winners for this year’s awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, which was given to David Bailey for his 60 years as a music photographer behind images of Elton John, Alice Cooper, and Nile Rodgers. Bailey’s wife accepted the honor at Studios One and Two in London, which was presented by Rodgers.

“It’s so great to see music photography thriving. It has never felt more vital, and these images remind us why it’s such a powerful art form,” said lead judge Rankin in a press release.

Anton Corbijn received the Icon Award, earning video shoutouts from members of U2, Metallica, and the Killers, along with Lenny Kravitz and Nick Cave, who said, “You have spent your career making me more handsome and interesting than I actually am. Your work continues to fascinate and inspire us all. You are indeed an icon!”

The ceremony also saw Jordan Curtis Hughes recognized for his photo of the 1975’s Matty Healy in the Making Music category, Ruby Boland’s photo of MAY-A swoop the Live Music award, Kirby Gladstein’s image of Lana Del Rey winning Music Moment of the Year, and Melissa Garner earning the Emerging Photographer of the Year trophy for a picture of Lava La Rue.

Additional honors included Alec Castillo’s photo of Adam Amram for Best Portrait, Inès Ziouane taking home the trophy in the Festivals category for Festival d’été de Québec, and Adam Ziegenhals’ image of Unabomb receiving the Underground Scenes award.

“Abbey Road has always stood at the intersection of music and creativity,” said Abbey Road managing director Sally Davies. “These awards are our way of celebrating the photographers who make music visible and freeze emotion and history in a single frame. It’s been a privilege to honour legends like David Bailey and Anton Corbijn, whose work has shaped the visual language of music for generations.”

All the nominated and winning photographs are set to be displayed at London’s Royal Albert Hall from Oct. 22 through Nov. 3, and there will be a special open day for fans to view the images for free on Oct. 25 between 10 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

Winners received a trophy designed by Rose Pilkington, who has worked with Romy and Jamie xx in the past. This year, over 20,000 images were submitted from across 30 different countries.