Abbey Road Music Photography Awards to honour Anton Corbijn with Icon Award

Anton Corbijn will be honoured with the Icon Award at this year’s Abbey Road Music Photography Awards on October 2.

Best known for his decades-long visual partnership with U2 and Depeche Mode, the Dutch photographer has played a major role in shaping the imagery of both bands, handling everything from sleeve artwork to major promotional photography.

Renowned for his black and white portraits, Corbijn said his passion for 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,” he added.

“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!”

U2. Photographed by Anton Corbijn.

Corbijn joins past winners of the Icon Award, including Jill Furmanovsky, Henry Diltz and Eric Johnson.

He also worked with a wider range of artists – from Nirvana, Bowie and Tom Waits to Coldplay and Metallica – and directed a number of hit music videos over the last 40 years, including U2’s ‘One’ and Depeche Mode’s ‘Enjoy the Silence’.

“Anton Corbijn’s work has been part of the cultural fabric of modern music for over five decades,” said Mark Robertson, Abbey Road’s director of marketing and creative.

“His photography doesn’t just document – it defines, it innovates, and it inspires artists, fans and photographers alike.”

Metallica. Credit: Anton Corbjin.

Launched in 2022, the Music Photography Awards celebrate "the art of capturing music through a lens."

The 2025 awards will include two new categories, Portrait and Festivals, with this year’s guest category entitled Club Culture.