Today (3rd October), Abbey Road Studios has unveiled the winners of the 2024 Abbey Road Music Photography Awards, during a very special, celebratory event at the world famous recording studio.
Today (3rd October), Abbey Road Studios has unveiled the winners of the 2024 Abbey Road Music Photography Awards, during a very special, celebratory event at the world famous recording studio.
This evening (Thursday 3 October), Abbey Road Studios has unveiled the winners of the 2024 Abbey Road Music Photography Awards, during a celebratory event across the iconic Studios One and Two. Hosted by Edith Bowman, the evening included incendiary live performances from Maverick Sabre’s YOURS collective, JNR Williams and Aziya, while recognising the winners and finalists from this year’s MPAs. The 2024 competition saw a remarkable rise in submissions, with entries increasing by over 50% from last year. Showcasing a range of global talent, over 22,000 images from 28 different countries were submitted, across six open categories.
Speaking about the winning images at this year’s Abbey Road Music Photography Awards, Abbey Road’s MD Sally Davies says: "I’m continually amazed by the incredible standard of photography that we see, and this year’s selection truly stands out as our best yet! The remarkable growth of the MPAs in just three short years highlights the awards' prestige, and the heartfelt enthusiasm from the artistic community reflects the richness of music photography as an art form. At Abbey Road, we are passionate about recognising, nurturing, and celebrating talent in this vital area, and we can’t wait to see what next year will bring!”
MPAs lead Judge Rankin adds: "The work this year has surpassed my expectations, it’s really elevating the standard to new heights. While last year's submissions were impressive, this year's entries have been extraordinary. We’ve received an overwhelming 22,000 images, making the selection process both challenging and inspiring. After much deliberation, we’ve chosen some truly outstanding pieces that represent the very best of what the music photography community has to offer. All the nominees and winners should be incredibly proud of themselves!"
In the awards’ open categories, Andreia Lemos took home the Undiscovered Photographer of the Year award, supported by adidas, for her image of Amyl and the Sniffers. Speaking about working with the band, Andreia says, ‘No one comes close to bursting my heart open in anticipation as Amy does - finger restlessly hovering over the trigger’. The Music Moment of the Year category, supported by Outernet London, was decided by public vote, with Tom Pallant winning for his shot of Blur at the band’s second Wembley Stadium show in July 2023. Tom says ‘Knowing Graham would launch his guitar 20 feet in the air, I was ready to capture the exact moment… It’s the only time I’ve ever shouted “YES!” out loud after getting a shot’.
Francis Mancini won the Live Music category for his captivating photo of Darren Styles, while Lemphek secured the Underground Scenes Award with an image of BBQ frontman Hui Zu and Bad Tailor guitarist Chen Hongmin, sharing a shoey on stage at Hard Stick Festival VII, a music festival geared towards remote cities. Lauren Harris earned the Making Music Award with her shot of Joesef. Lauren says of the photo - ‘Small, intimate, quiet moments like this are why I shoot - giving an insight into life off-stage’. Adrien H. Tillman secured the Jazz: The Rebirth of Cool award with his photo of legendary American saxophone player Billy Harper - a fixture of the New York jazz scene for decades. In the invited categories Alexa Viscius won the Editorial award with a portrait of bnny and Bolade Banjo was awarded the Portrait category for his photo of Jamaican artist Popcaan.
List of full winners and nominees below. *Bold denotes the winner
Andreia Lemos [Amyl and the Sniffers]
Charlie Barclay Harris [Stone]
Isaiah Johns [Yves Tumor & Chris Greatti]
Izzy Nuzzo [Drake]
Leila Afghan [Nayana IZ]
Tom Pallant [Blur]
Sam Neill [Fred Again..]
Danielle Agnello [Souls of Mischief]
Zachary Zephir [Travis Scott]
Chris Suspect [Daikaiju]
Lemphek [Hui Zu & Chen Hongmin]
Adam Ziegenhals [Hogg]
Jodi Rogers [Max Kelan]
Lance Webber [Lolly Gaggers]
Marcus Maddox [Malice K - Cheeky Maa]
Francis Mancini [Darren Styles]
AF CORTES [Daikaiju]
Alec Castillo [Iggy Pop]
Isaiah Pate [Glaive]
Lorenzo Reali [Nayt]
Lauren Harris [Joesef]
Mariana dos Santos Pires [Léa Sen]
AF Cortes [Making Moves]
Maninder Ram [Lancey Foux]
RxAxLxF [CHOVU]
Adrien H. Tillmann [Billy Harper]
Christaan Felber [Cécile McLorin Salvant]
Diogo Lopes [Ezra Collective]
Lauren Luxenberg [Shabaka]
Leszek Gawin [Shabaka]
Alexa Viscius [bnny]
Bet Bettencourt [Tems]
Murry Deaves [Static Dress]
James Robjant in collaboration with Patrick Waugh [King Krule]
Bolade Banjo [Headie One]
Xavier Tera [Rosalia]
Jack Chipper [D Double E]
Bolade Banjo [Popcaan]
Jackie Lee Young [Devendra Banhart]
Elliot Hensford [Adekunle Gold]
Harry Steel [Oversize]
Jennifer McCord [Arlo Parks]
Gavin Bond [Liam Gallagher]
Shenell Kennedy [Unknown T]
Callum Walker Hutchinson [Raye]
To honour an incredible 53-year career, the legendary photographer Jill Furmanovsky collected this year’s prestigious ICON Award. The award was presented on stage by Noel Gallagher, with Nile Rodgers, Debbie Harry, David Gilmour, Siouxsie Sioux and Sting also sending affecting video tributes.
Noel Gallagher says of Jill Furmanovsky “Best photographer ever!”
Jill has captured some of Abbey Road’s most iconic moments, including Pink Floyd's 1975 Wish You Were Here recording sessions and Oasis' Be Here Now sessions in 1997. In 2017, she became Abbey Road's first-ever photographer in residence, before joining the judging panel for the MPAs' inaugural awards in 2022. Throughout her career, Furmanovsky has collaborated with a roster of music legends, from Bob Marley and Led Zeppelin to Joy Division, Amy Winehouse, The Pretenders, and Blondie.
From 8th October to 12th November, this year’s nominated MPAs entries will be displayed throughout the walls of the Royal Albert Hall, as part of a new partnership between Abbey Road and the iconic concert hall. Abbey Road is also joining forces with The Other Art Fair, presenting this year’s entries at their London showcase at The Truman Brewery this October, emphasising the significance of music photography as an art form. The Other Art Fair’s exhibit will feature images from Jill Furmanovsky, the recipient of the ICON award, along with a selection of her favourite shots from this year’s MPAs open categories.
Also new for this year, Abbey Road continues their mission to foster both new and established talent with the MPAs Digital Network. Set to launch on October 28th via the MPAs website, the Digital Network is an essential resource for artists, labels, managers and creatives across the music industry and beyond. Its aim is to build community, showcase talent and boost exposure, and create a space to generate opportunities for paid work. The MPAs Digital Network will feature profiles of this year’s nominees and winners, alongside those from 2022 and 2023, and curated images from established photographers.