Nile Rodgers, Djo/Joe Keery, Sunflower Bean’s Julia Cumming among judges for Abbey Road Music Photography Awards 2025 

Artists including Nile Rodgers, Djo/Joe Keery and Sunflower Bean‘s Julia Cumming have been lined-up for judges at the 2025 Abbey Road Music Photography Awards.

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The MPAs are returning for the fourth year, and are set to continue championing, empowering and showcasing the worldwide community of music photographers. Structured as a free-to-enter competition, the applications for 2025 have now opened and are on offer to artists from all levels of experience.

The six categories returning categories open for submissions are ‘Music Moment of the Year sponsored by Outernet’, ‘Emerging Photographer of the Year sponsored by Adidas’, ‘Making Music’, ‘Underground Scenes’, ‘Live Music’ and ‘Guest category: Club Culture’.

Two new categories open for 2025 are ‘Portrait’ and ‘Festivals’, while invited categories are ‘Judges Choice’ and ‘ICON’. The new categories have been introduced as the 2024 Awards attracted over 22,000 entries from 30 different countries – a 50 per cent increase from 2023.

Led by MPA co-founder, British photographer, publisher and film director Rankin (Madonna, Bjork, Miley Cyrus), guest judges on the 2025 panel include music icon Rodgers, and Black Pumas’ frontman Eric Burton. Also included for this year is producer, songwriter and Stranger Things actor Djo/Joe Keery, Dimitri From Paris and Sunflower Bean’s frontwoman Cumming.

The remainder of the judging panel is made up of Scarlet Page (Foo Fighters, Red Hot Chili Peppers), Tom Pallant (YUNGBLUD, Blur), Bolade Banjo (Louis Vuitton/Pharrell, Drake), Shot by Nee (Burna Boy), and Janette Beckman (Run DMC, Salt-N-Pepa).

Category judge Simon Wheatley (Don’t Call Me Urban) completes the line-up of judges for 2025.

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Winners of the 2025 Music Photography Awards will be unveiled at the official awards ceremony on October 2 at Abbey Road. Visit here for more information.

After being founded in 2022, the MPAs now include events, exhibitions, workshops, learning resources and more to empower rising talent. The Awards now form the cornerstone of the Abbey Road Music Photography Accelerator – helping to support and invest in the next generation of music photographers by providing mentorship and opportunities.

“I’m thrilled to be back for year four of the Abbey Road Music Photography Awards,” said head judge Rankin. “Each year, the standard of entries gets more impressive, and it’s been a real joy to watch so many of the photographers we’ve spotlighted go on to carve out real careers in the industry.

“The launch of the Music Photography Accelerator marks a new chapter, one that goes beyond recognition to real investment in the next wave of talent. Abbey Road is building a global platform that not only showcases emerging photographers but supports their journey, offering them opportunities to learn, collaborate and gain real-world experience.”

Sally Davies, Managing Director at Abbey Road added: “Music photography doesn’t just document culture — it plays a vital role in shaping it. With the Music Photography Awards, we’re proud to champion the image-makers capturing music’s most powerful moments and pushing the boundaries of visual creativity.

“And as the awards evolve into the cornerstone of our Music Photography Accelerator, it’s exciting to not only spotlight talent, but continue to nurture it, helping it connect and thrive. It’s about opening doors for the next generation of music photographers, and we can’t wait to see the incredible work they will submit this year.”

Last year, over two million visitors attended the Outernet exhibition of MPA photography, and several of the winners have since secured high-profile shoots and opportunities following nominations.

Among the winners at the first-ever instalment of the MPAs in 2022 was Eric Johnson – who won the Icon Award for his legendary photographs of the late ’90s and early ’00s New York hip-hop scene, including famous shots of Biggie Smalls, Aaliyah, Nas, Missy Elliott, Lauryn Hill and many more. Visit here for a full list of that year’s winners.

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