Abbey Road will present Japanese photographer Masayoshi Sukita with the Lifetime Achievement Award at this year’s Abbey Road Music Photography Awards.
Best known for his 44-year collaboration with David Bowie, Sukita took the iconic cover shot for Bowie’s 1977 Heroes album. He is also known for photographing Iggy Pop, Marc Bolan, Joe Strummer, Yellow Magic Orchestra, and David Sylvian. David Bailey received the inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award in 2025.
Sukita was born in Kyushu, Japan, in 1938. In 1965 he moved to Tokyo, taking fashion photographs and filming TV commercials. He became a freelance photographer in 1970, and between 1970 and 1971 he visited New York frequently, where he took photos of Jimi Hendrix in the months before his death, as well as T-Rex’s Marc Bolan. In 1972, Sukita met David Bowie in London for the first time. The pair had a long collaboration around the world.
“It is a big honor for me to receive the Lifetime Achievement award at the Abbey Road Music Photography Awards,” Sukita said in a statement. “I am very pleased to be a part of the history of photography. I will keep working on photography, and hope people will continue to enjoy my work.”
Mark Robertson, Director of Marketing & Creative at Abbey Road, added, “Masayoshi Sukita is one of the true visionaries of music photography. His images have not only documented some of the most influential artists of our time, they have helped define how we see them. Sukita created photographs that have become part of cultural history, with work that is timeless, intimate and instantly recognizable, demonstrating the power of photography to shape the identity of artists and entire eras. His influence and legacy continue to inspire across music, fashion and visual culture. We are honored to celebrate Masayoshi Sukita with the Lifetime Achievement award at this year’s Abbey Road Music Photography Awards, recognizing a lifetime spent elevating music photography into an art form.”
The Abbey Road Music Photography Awards were launched in 2022. The awards now form the leading element of the Abbey Road Music Photography Accelerator, which encompasses events, exhibitions, workshops, and learning resources, including the recent Abbey Road Music Photography Festival, which took place in New York City in May 2026. This year, the Abbey Road Music Photography Awards received over 24,500 submissions from 40 different countries, a 25 percent increase on last year’s entries.
The judging panel for this year’s Music Photography Awards is led by British photographer, publisher, and film director Rankin, and includes Nile Rodgers, Raye, Damiano David, Platon, Dean Chalkley, Dennis Morris, Kid Harpoon, Lily Fontaine, Jackie Lee Young, Hikaru Utada, and Simon Wheatley. The shortlisting panel is led by Rolling Stone‘s Sacha Lecca alongside Andreia Lemos, Rich Fury, Khali Ackford, Ebru Yildiz, and Ped Millichamp.
The Abbey Road Music Photography Awards will take place on Sept. 24 in London.
