Will Richards
View all posts by Will Richards September 8, 2026
Oasis Harriet T K Bols The finalists have been announced for the 2026 edition of the Abbey Road Music Photography Awards this month.
The awards, which have been running since 2022, received over 24,500 submissions from 40 different countries in 2026, 25 percent more than last year.
It has already been revealed Japanese photographer Masayoshi Sukita will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award, while the judging panel for 2026 will include RAYE and Nile Rodgers.
Included in the list of finalists for this month’s awards (held at Abbey Road on Sept. 24) are photos of Oasis, Charli XCX, Florence + the Machine and more. Rolling Stone‘s own Sacha Lecca is nominated in the Judges Choice category for his shots of FKA twigs during her Ladyland Festival performance. Lecca also presides as the Chief Shortlister and Global Ambassador of the contest.
See the full list of nominees 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
Lambrini Girls by Jessie Morgan Jessie Morgan 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
Editor’s picks
The 250 Greatest Albums of the 21st Century So Far
The 100 Best TV Episodes of All Time
The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
100 Best Movies of the 21st Century
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
Roberta Bayley
Head judge Rankin commented: “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 recognized, 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.”
