When it comes to music photography, famous artists tend to be the center of attention. But, at the Abbey Road Music Photography Awards 2026, it was the fans who stole the show.
Today, the annual global music photography competition revealed its winners for the 2026 edition, among them a series of high-octane frames of fanatic fans capturing the charged energy of the moments.
Perhaps the most electrifying of all the 9 category-winning images was Joshua Halling’s, of an Oasis fan caught in the middle of a swirling vortex within the crowd.
Winning the “Music Moment of the Year” category, Halling’s image was captured during Oasis’ 2025 tour in Buenos Aires, with Noel Gallagher later describing that night to a radio show as one “none of us will ever forget.”
There was more fan frenzy in the “Underground Scenes” and “Behind the Scenes” categories. AF Cortés was crowned winner of the former with her frame of audience members crowd surfing at a secret KARTEL show on an abandoned rail track in Brooklyn.
While Gabrielle Ravet took the latter for her shot of My Chemical Romance fans painting their faces before the band’s first show of the Long Black Parade Tour, Seattle.
Famous artists also feature in several winning shots, the pick of the bunch coming in the “Judges’ Choice” category. Here, Angus Jenner was named winner with an iconic frame of Oasis taking to the stage on the first night of its Reunion Tour in Cardiff last year.
A beautiful portrait of British singer Billie Marten atop a horse, taken by Frances Carter, as well as a euphoric frame of Yungblud performing, shot by Tom Pallant, captured the judges’ votes in the “Portrait” and “Live Music” categories, respectively.
Hosted by the famous Abbey Road Studios, London, the 2026 edition of the free photography competition saw over 24,500 images submitted from across 42 different countries.
Alongside the 9 category winners, an “ICON” career honor was also awarded to Roberta Bayley – famous for documenting the 1970s New York punk scene – as well as a “Lifetime Achievement” award to Masayoshi Sukita, for his legendary 44-year photographic collaboration with David Bowie.
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