The only photography awards dedicated to music photography have returned and are open for submissions
Macy Gray(Image credit: Rankin)
Abbey Road Studios is the most famous music recording studio in the UK and is recognized among the top studios globally. In recognition of the exceptional photography that centers around music, the Abbey Road Music Photography Awards returns and is now accepting submissions.
Photography has a significant role in music culture, contributing to album covers, tour posters, and magazine features. The Abbey Road Music Photography Awards was the inaugural competition dedicated to music photography, aligning with the studio's commitment to supporting, showcasing, and enabling the finest music photography.
It remains the only global music photography award and this year it is divided into 6 open and 3 invitational categories. The open categories include Undiscovered Photographer of the Year (Supported by Adidas), Music Moment of the Year (Supported by Outernet and voted for by the public), Live Music Award, Underground Scenes Award, Making Music Award, and Jazz: The Rebirth of Cool.
The three invitational categories include the categories of Portrait, Editorial, and Icon. They are for those nominated and chosen by the judging panel - and what a judging panel for this year's awards.
The 2024 judging panel is made up of powerhouses from across numerous creative industries. It includes photographers such as Ashley Verse and Pooneh Ghana, Vanity Fair’s editor of creative development David Friend, and lead singer of Gossip Beth Ditto - to name a few.
Outkast (Image credit: Rankin)
Leading the panel of judges is Rankin, famed for his fashion and portrait work in addition to capturing some of the most famous musical icons of the time.
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Speaking on the awards he says, "Now in our third year, I’m incredibly excited to see what we can expect from the 2024 entrants. The quality of photography from last year’s entrants was extremely impressive, and I'm sure that this year will raise the bar even higher. We want to find and recognize the emerging, undiscovered and established talent that exists in music photography, as well as shine a light on photographers of all backgrounds. Once again, I will be giving one photographer the opportunity to win a day's mentorship with me on a shoot.”
The awards are free to enter and are open to all, with the submission deadline being July 18, 2024. These awards are extremely valuable for aspiring music photographers as on top of the competition's recognition, last year saw 1.5 million visitors attend the exhibition at London’s Outernet and saw several of the winners going on to secure high-profile shoots and opportunities as a result of being nominated.
Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony at the legendary Abbey Road Studios on October 3, 2024. Don't hesitate to head over to the website to submit your images!
Kalum Carter is a photographer, photo editor and writer based in the UK, and for almost a decade he has worked with brands and publications to create, edit, and sequence imagery. Having recently graduated with a Master's Degree in Photography from the University of the West of England (UWE), Kalum joined Digital Camera World as a Staff Writer, covering news, reviews, and his biggest passion – photography books!
Kalum's photography has been published and exhibited around the world, and he continues to photograph on a project-by-project basis. He is currently working on a personal project capturing the people and landscape of Gower, South Wales. Currently untitled, this body of work will be exhibited for the National Trust later this year.
