Abbey Road has revealed the winners of the Abbey Road Music Photography Awards 2025 at a celebratory evening held across the historic Studios One and Two. Hosted by Lauren Laverne, the night combined the announcement of winners with live performances from Artist In Residence Jordan Rakei and Orla Gartland, alongside DJ sets from Dimitri From Paris and Klaverson.
This year’s Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to the legendary David Bailey CBE in recognition of his extraordinary contributions to music photography over the past sixty years. Bailey’s wife, Catherine, collected the award from Nile Rodgers, while video tributes came from Elton John, Alice Cooper, Mary McCartney, Jarvis Cocker, Penelope Tree and Pattie Boyd.
McCartney praised Bailey as "a complete inspiration and a legend – you can feel him in every picture that he takes."
The Icon Award went to Anton Corbijn, the Dutch photographer and music video director renowned for his portraits of U2, Depeche Mode and David Bowie. Presented by 2024 Icon winner Jill Furmanovsky, the award celebrates Corbijn’s enduring influence on music photography and portraiture.
Among the category winners, Jordan Curtis Hughes took the Making Music award for his candid portrait of Matty Healy from The 1975, capturing the artist’s presence and energy in a single frame. Ruby Boland won the Live Music category for her dynamic shot of May-A performing on stage.
The public vote for Music Moment of the Year, supported by Outernet London, was won by Kirby Gladstein for her photograph of Lana Del Rey at Coachella 2024, freezing a festival moment in time.
Underground Scenes went to Adam Ziegenhals for his image of Unabomb, highlighting the raw energy of an intimate music space. Emerging Photographer of the Year, supported by adidas, was awarded to Melissa Gardner for her portrait of Lava La Rue. The new Festivals category was won by Inès Ziouane for her image from Festival d’été de Québec, while Alec Castillo claimed the new Portrait category with a photograph of Adam Amram.
In the guest category, Club Culture, Connor Baker took the win for his Glitterbox shot at Hï Ibiza, and the Judges’ Choice award was presented to Platon for his striking image of Nile Rodgers.
All winners received a unique trophy designed by London-based artist Rose Pilkington, inspired by Abbey Road’s analogue studio gear. The awarded and nominated images will be displayed in the Amphi Corridor at London’s Royal Albert Hall from October 22 to November 03, with a special open day on October 25 offering free access to the public.
A further exhibition at Outernet London in November will showcase additional shortlisted works, allowing music and photography fans to explore the creativity behind the 2025 awards.
Abbey Road Studios’ MD, Sally Davies, said, "Abbey Road has always stood at the intersection of music and creativity. These awards are our way of celebrating the photographers who make music visible, and freeze emotion and history in a single frame."
Lead judge, Rankin, added, "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."
You can see the full list of winners on the official competition website.
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