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In 2022, Abbey Road Studios launches the Abbey Road Studios Music Photography Awards; the first ever global music photography competition celebrating the year’s unforgettable, unique and unsung music moments and the photographers who captured them. Abbey Road Studios, the world’s most famous recording studio, announces the inaugural Abbey Road Studios Music Photography Awards 2022 in association with Hennessy – the first ever awards to celebrate the art of music photography. The MPAs will recognise the year’s most unforgettable, unique and unsung music moments and the varied and talented photographers who captured them. The winners will be unveiled and celebrated at an official MPAs ceremony in May 2022 (exact date to be confirmed), hosted at Abbey Road Studios.
As Abbey Road celebrates its 90th anniversary, it launches the Abbey Road Studios Music Photography Awards – the first awards to recognise the art of music photography.
Created to celebrate the previous year’s unforgettable, unique and unsung music images, this annual, global competition will shine a light on the creatives behind the lens – whether established, emerging or undiscovered. Winners will be chosen by a panel helmed by photographer, publisher and director Rankin, together with singer, writer and multidisciplinary storyteller Moses Sumney, rapper, singer and songwriter Shygirl, acclaimed photographers Jill Furmanovsky and Dana Scruggs, Rolling Stone’s picture editor Sacha Lecca and Abbey Road MD Isabel Garvey.
Photos taken between 00.01am on 1 January 2021 to 11.59pm on 31 December 2021 can be entered into the relevant Open Category.
There is no fee to enter the Abbey Road Studios Music Photography Awards competition. Simply register your email address and follow all onscreen instructions. After verifying your account, you’ll need to enter your name, age and country. You’ll also be prompted to provide your bio and Instagram handle (if you have one).
Please make sure you read about each award carefully ahead of entering that category:
Championing Scenes Award – category supported by Hennessy
Music goes beyond a song or the artists that perform it. It’s a catalyst for the cultural communities that embody its spirit in venues and dancefloors across the globe. This award will shine a spotlight on the importance of the grassroots movements by celebrating the photographers documenting subcultural music scenes around the world.
Live Music Photography – category supported by Philips TV
Capturing the image that defined live music in 2021. Locked down or not, the music played on. From the undeniable electricity of a small venue and the euphoria of a returning festival, to the intimate connection between artist and audience, these are the photographs that show us what live music means to you.
Studio Photography Award – category supported by Bowers & Wilkins
Exploring the process of recording music. Two creative processes at play, where music creation and the art of photography meet. The artist behind the lens and the artist in front of the lens. This category is open to photographs showcasing musicians at work and play in the studio. Images that capture the magic that happens when musicians come together to write, experiment or record.
Undiscovered Photographer of the Year – category supported by adidas
Countless legends took their first steps at Abbey Road. It’s a spirit that continues today with sessions designed to inspire the next generation of artists. We now want to identify and recognise the emerging, unsung talent that exists in music photography. We want to expose the best upcoming photographers of all backgrounds forging a path in music photography. Do you have a body of work that is waiting to be discovered?
This category celebrates THE image that defines music in 2021. THE picture that makes you stop. Makes you think. Makes you feel. A visual statement of music in 2021. We look through the lens to celebrate the photograph that captured a moment in time, the mood, the spirit of the year. An image of the year in music that could be remembered for generations to come.
Please be aware that the Zeitgeist Award is not open to enter. Instead, all photos entered into the four open categories above will be considered for this Award.
For the Live Music Photography Award, Studio Photography Award & Championing Scenes Award, you will need to submit between three to five photos per category. If you are entering the Undiscovered Photographer of the Year, you will need to submit five photos.
To complement each of your photos, you’ll be able to add specific details and a short-written description. You will also need to select one of your photos as your main entry to the category. The other images will be supporting material to your entry.
Closing date for entries is 21 March 2022 at 23:59 GMT.
You need to be over the age of 18 years old to submit your photos into the Abbey Road Music Photography Awards. Entrants must be 25 years or older for the Championing Scenes Award supported by Hennessy.
You can only enter once per category, but you can submit the same photo in multiple categories. If you submit an entry in an incorrect category, it cannot be amended or altered after submission.
Full Terms & Conditions
The competition is judged on an equal and anonymous basis. The judges will select nominees and winners across the categories according to the judging criteria, which includes subject matter, technical skills, approach, creativity, relevance to category and narrative.
The judging panel of creatives and photographers will create a shortlist of up to five nominees from each category. Nominees will be contacted – via email – prior to the MPA awards ceremony which is due to take place at Abbey Road Studios on 14 May 2022. The judges will also select one winner for each category and the winners will be announced at the Ceremony.
The judging panel will nominate, debate and award the following categories recognising outstanding work in music photography:
A photograph that captures the spirit, essence and personality of the artist. Stylised, conceptual or candid, it’s how the artist represents their work through visual imagery.
Editorial photography tells a story with images. It can take the viewer on a journey, illuminate written text, set a tone or present a highly evolved creative concept.
A defining photograph that captures a moment of creativity at work – in the studio, on stage, behind-the-scenes.
A special honour in recognition of a person whose impact and contribution to the art of music photography is unparalleled.
The Abbey Road Studios Music Photography Awards Website
For more information head to the Competition page
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