Legendary Dutch photographer, filmmaker and music video director Anton Corbijn has been honoured with the prestigious ICON Award at this year’s Abbey Road Music Photography Awards. Previous winners of the award, which is nominated and chosen by the MPA judging panel, include Jill Furmanovsky (2024), Henry Diltz (2023) and Eric Johnson (2022).

Speaking about being this year’s ICON, Anton says:

“Photographing musicians was a love that became a full-on mission in the early ‘70s. From hanging around the front of the stage to being 100% in charge, it’s been an exciting place to be. I like to think I evolved over the years, but I am still excited by music and photographing musicians now and then. To receive recognition from a body that contains the name of Abbey Road and with some of my peers as judges, I can only be grateful! Thank you!”

Born in Strijen in 1955, Anton Corbijn discovered photography through his love for music while still at high school in the Netherlands. He used his father’s camera for his first photos at an open-air concert in 1972, before moving from stage photography to portrait photograph, initially only portraits of musicians. Anton moved to London in 1979 to pursue his love of music and photography, and is today widely regarded as one of the most influential photographers both in the world of music and in the world of portraiture photography.

Some of Anton’s best-known photography subjects include: Tom Waits, David Bowie, Kurt Cobain, Ian Curtis, Clint Eastwood, Bryan Adams, Cameron Diaz, Miles Davis, Frank Sinatra, William S. Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg, Joni Mitchell, Robert De Niro, Gerhard Richter, Ai Weiwei, and Lucian Freud. He is also considered to be the ‘house’ photographer of both U2, shooting them for almost 40 years, and Depeche Mode, whom he has been working with for almost as long.

Anton has worked in film and video since 1983, when he was one of the first still photographers to direct music videos. He has since made approximately 80 music videos for, among others U2, Depeche Mode, Nirvana, Metallica, Nick Cave, Johnny Cash, Arcade Fire, Coldplay and The Killers. Over the last few years, Anton’s photography has been largely focused on painters, such as Ai Weiwei, Gerhard Richter, Anselm Kiefer, Lucian Freud, Peter Doig, Marlene Dumas, Damien Hirst and John Baldessari, in a series called Inwards and Onwards.

Discussing Anton’s ICON award, Abbey Road’s Director of Marketing & Creative, Mark Robertson, adds:

“Anton Corbijn’s work has been part of the cultural fabric of modern music for over five decades. His photography doesn’t just document - it defines, it innovates, and it inspires artists, fans and photographers alike. At Abbey Road, we’re thrilled to celebrate a true icon whose artistry continues to influence.”

The judging panel for this year's Music Photography Awards is packed full of talent at the top of their game from across the creative industries. Lead by MPA co-founder, British photographer, publisher and film director Rankin (Madonna, Bjork, Miley Cyrus), the panel includes special guest judge and musical icon Nile Rodgers, actor, producer and songwriter Djo/Joe Keery, Black Pumas’ frontman Eric Burton, producer/DJ Dimitri From Paris and Sunflower Bean’s frontwoman Julia Cumming. British photographer Scarlet Page (Foo Fighters, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Placebo), two-time MPA winner Tom Pallant (Yungblud, Blur), MPA nominee Bolade Banjo (Louis Vuitton / Pharrell, Burberry, Gucci, Drake), Shot by Nee (Burna Boy), legendary photographer Janette Beckman (Run DMC, Salt-N-Pepa, Slick Rick) and category judge Simon Wheatley (Don’t Call Me Urban) complete the line up of judges for 2025.

Founded in 2022, the Music Photography Awards has been embraced by the photography community and has since grown into a year-round, multi-layered platform for growth and opportunity. It now encompasses events, exhibitions, workshops, learning resources and much more, all designed to champion and empower photography talent. To supercharge this ambition and deliver on it in the most meaningful and impactful way, the awards now form the cornerstone of the Abbey Road Music Photography Accelerator, which supports, elevates and invests in the next generation of music photographers, shifting from a single moment in the calendar to an ongoing commitment to development, mentorship, and opportunities.

Last year, the Abbey Road Music Photography Awards attracted over 22,000 entries from 30 different countries – a 50% increase from 2023. As a result, two new categories have been introduced for 2025 – Portrait and Festivals, while this year’s guest category is Club Culture, which celebrates images from any year. The categories in full are:

Open for submissions:
● Portrait (new for 2025)
● Festivals (new for 2025)
● Music Moment of the Year sponsored by Outernet
● Emerging Photographer of the Year sponsored by adidas
● Making Music
● Underground Scenes
● Live Music
● Guest category: Club Culture

Invited Categories (nominated and chosen by the judging panel):
● Judges Choice
● ICON