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.
Frances Carter – Billie MartenJamie-Lee Culver – AynjelWanda Martin – Billy IdolDaniel Rojas – The OGM – Ho99o9Manuel Vazquez – Warren Ellis Viktória Erdős – Palaye RoyaleDanny North – Download Festival, Humans of DownloadGiulia Spadafora – Glastonbury Festival – AudienceIan Zandi – The Killing FloorsJake Zaoutis – Hey, Nothing Harriet T K Bols – OasisJenn Devereaux – Kendrick LamarJoshua Halling – OasisJessie Morgan – Lambrini GirlsJack Oliver – Charli XCX Frances Carter – Gin WigmoreBryce Glenn – SombrNatalia Peralta – Nicholas y los fumadoresDara Petrova – Techno rave LaboratoriumIsaac Wheatley – Mikael Olly Bromidge – Matt MolotovSophie Buckley – Black HoneyLewis Evans – GeeseCaity Krone – Kevin Parker / Tame ImpalaGabrielle 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 AF Cortes – Audience at Kartel ShowAndrea Gonar – Ruido en casaGeoffrey Nicholson – SpunkSuzanne Phoenix – Private Function at Gold StreetJames Streiker – Rosanna Charlie Barclay Harris – Fontaines D.C.Rhys Bennett – BattlesnakeLewis Evans – OasisTom Pallant – YungbludRico Suhr – Dr.VENUS Joe Hughes – Sonic YouthWayne Large – Members of various punk bandsKeith Marlowe – The Black HalosGerard McNamara – Bauhaus, Peter MurphyJamie Wdziekonski – Amyl and the Sniffers Matt Auger – SubstandardsCarlos Avendano – Lisa AlvaradoScarlett Carlos Clarke – Self EsteemAutumn de Wilde – Florence + The MachineAngus Jenner – OasisSacha Lecca – FKA twigsTom Pallant – Yungblud 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.” Trending Stories The Tallest Man on Earth Rediscovers His Heritage on a Cathartic New Album Donald Trump Took a Wrecking Ball to the White House. The Next President Must Do the Same Stevie Wonder to Play All of ‘Songs in the Key of Life’ on 50th-Anniversary Tour Watch Teaser Trailer for Alex Gibney’s Forthcoming Elon Musk Documentary Related Content ‘Oasis: Don’t Look Back in Anger’ Review: Moving Documentary Immortalizes Huge 2025 Tour Noel Gallagher Hints at Oasis 2027 Summer Tour Oasis Doc Trailer Shows Noel Gallagher Asking, ‘Will It Fall Apart Again?’ Troye Sivan Drops ‘She’s the Best,’ Featuring Secret Charli XCX Cameo Abbey Road Managing Director Sally Davies added: “It’s been wonderful to see how warmly the music photography community has embraced the MPAs, and to watch that community grow year after year.
The extraordinary response reminds us just how much brilliant talent there is behind the lens, and how important it is to create opportunities for that work to be seen and celebrated. From the awards themselves, to our first Music Photography Festival in New York, we’re incredibly proud to be bringing people together around this unique art form and to see the MPAs becoming a genuinely global celebration of music photography.” This story was originally published by “Rolling Stone UK.”
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