Nile Rodgers, Djo, and Sunflower Bean's Julia Cumming among judges for Abbey Road's Music Photography Awards

29 May 2025, 15:25 | Written by Tyler Damara Kelly

(News)

(Nile Rodgers) (Djo) (Sunflower Bean)

London’s Abbey Road has announced their prestigious annual Music Photography Awards is open for submissions.

Last year, the Awards attracted over 22,000 entries from 30 different countries – a 50% increase from 2023. As a result, two new categories have been introduced for 2025 – Portrait and Festivals, while this year’s guest category is Club Culture, which celebrates images from any year.

The judging panel for this year's Awards is lead by MPA co-founder, British photographer, publisher and film director Rankin, and the panel includes special guest judge and musical icon Nile Rodgers, actor, producer and songwriter Djo/Joe Keery, Black Pumas’ frontman Eric Burton, producer/DJ Dimitri From Paris and Sunflower Bean’s frontwoman Julia Cumming.

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Sally Davies, Managing Director at Abbey Road says: "Music photography doesn’t just document culture — it plays a vital role in shaping it. With the Music Photography Awards we're proud to champion the image-makers capturing music’s most powerful moments and pushing the boundaries of visual creativity. And as the awards evolve into the cornerstone of our Music Photography Accelerator, it's exciting to not only spotlight talent, but continue to nurture it, helping it connect and thrive. It's about opening doors for the next generation of music photographers, and we can’t wait to see the incredible work they will submit this year."

Applications are open now, until 28 July, with the winners to be unveiled and celebrated at the official awards ceremony on 2 October at Abbey Road. Visit abbeyroadmusicphotographyawards.com.