LONDON (CelebrityAccess) – Abbey Road Studios has launched the Abbey Road Studios Music Photography Awards (MPA) in association with brand Hennessy. The first awards show to celebrate the art of music photography, the awards will recognize photographers at all levels – established, emerging or undiscovered via open-entry categories.
“The MPAs will recognise the year’s most unforgettable, unique and unsung music moments and the varied and talented photographers who captured them,” the official announcement reads. The winners will be unveiled at an official MPAs ceremony in May 2022, hosted at Abbey Road Studios.
Abbey Road is inviting photographers from all around the world to enter the four open-entry categories titled Studio, Live, Championing Scenes and the Undiscovered Photographer of the Year, while the judging panel will choose one of these entries for the Zeitgeist award. These categories can be entered by photographers at all stages of their career via the official MPA website. Alongside the above will be four invited categories, with the winners chosen by the official judging panel (photographers, artists and experts within the music/photography industries). The invitation only categories are Icon, Portrait, Editorial and Artist at Work.
At the head of the 2022 judging panel is photographer, publisher and film director Rankin. Rankin’s career has seen him work across both fashion and music, directing and shooting music videos for the likes of Miley Cyrus, Rita Ora and Kelis and shooting portraits of everyone from David Bowie to The Rolling Stones and The Queen. His photography has been published in titles including Vogue, Esquire, GQ, Rolling Stone and exhibited in galleries globally.
Joining Rankin is music photographer and Rockarchive founder, Jill Furmanovsky with a 50-year career photographing the most famous names in rock such as Pink Floyd, Bob Marley, Eric Clapton, Led Zeppeling, Bob Dylan and many more. She was the studios’ Artist in Residence from 2017 to 2018.
Rounding out the judging panel are Ghanaian-American singer, writer and multidisciplinary creative, Moses Sumney, multidisciplinary artist from East London, Shygirl, American photographer and director, Dana Scruggs, Rolling Stone’s deputy photo director Sacha Lecca and Abbey Studios’ own, Isabel Garvey.
“We are thrilled to launch the first Abbey Road Studios Music Photography Awards. It’s an important category of photography that hasn’t been officially recognised before and I am honoured to be able to make this happen with the MPAs. Abbey Road’s legacy has not only come from the incredible artists and records made here, but through the iconic imagery that has captured these seminal moments and transported them around the world. I am excited to work with our panel of talented judges to find and celebrate the next generation of image makers across the globe, who are shaping the way we see music.” – Isabel Garvey
OPEN CATEGORIES
Zeitgeist Award
Championing Scenes Award (Category supported by Hennessy)
Live Music Photography Award (Category supported by Philips)
Studio Photography Award (Category supported by Bowers & Wilkins)
Undiscovered Photographer of the Year (Category supported by Adidas)
INVITED CATEGORIES
Portrait Photography Award
Editorial Photography Award
Artist at Work Photography Award
Icon Award
