Article Source: SAY Award
Last Updated: 11 July 2024 11:14
Returning to Stirling’s Albert Halls for the third year running, The SAY Award will celebrate the cultural impact and contribution of outstanding Scottish albums, with the winning record awarded a £20,000 prize and the coveted title of Scottish Album of the Year.
Submit eligible albums for free via www.sayaward.com - submissions close midnight Wednesday 31st July 2024.
The SAY Award Ceremony will return to Stirling’s iconic Albert Halls for the third year in a row, taking place on Thursday 24th October. 2023’s Ceremony saw history made as Young Fathers became the first artist to win The SAY Award for the third time, with the band recently returning to the city to headline their own festival in Stirling City Park at the end of July. Early-bird tickets for 2024’s SAY Award Ceremony are on sale now via www.sayaward.com.
In The SAY Award’s thirteenth year, artists, music fans, labels and more will be encouraged to submit eligible albums for free, to be in with the chance of winning. To be considered for 2024’s award, eligible albums must have been released between 1st June 2023 and 31st May 2024. To submit albums, plus view eligibility criteria and guidelines for 2024’s award, visit www.sayaward.com.
Previous SAY Award winners include Young Fathers, Kathryn Joseph, Mogwai, Anna Meredith and more, with the past twelve months seeing releases from the likes of The Snuts, Teenage Fanclub, Becky Sikasa, Erland Cooper, Rachel Sermanni and The Jesus and Mary Chain, all of which could be submitted for consideration. Since its inception in 2012, The SAY Award has distributed over £350,000 in prize money to Scottish artists, recognising outstanding albums across multiple genres.
The SAY Award winner will receive a £20,000 prize and the prestigious title of Scottish Album of the Year, whilst nine runners up will each receive £1,000, as well as bespoke prizes created by a Stirling-based artist through The SAY Award Design Commission. Accompanying the main album of the year prize, the Modern Scottish Classic Award will recognise an iconic album that still inspires Scottish musicians today, and the Sound of Young Scotland Award – supported by Help Musicians, the Scottish Government’s Youth Music Initiative through Creative Scotland and Youth Music – will recognise a young and emerging artist, providing them with a funding package to support the creation of their debut album. 2023’s Modern Scottish Classic winner was Paolo Nutini’s ‘These Streets’, with Edinburgh-based duo No Windows collecting The Sound of Young Scotland Award.
On Thursday 24 October, Scotland’s national music prize will once again see the country’s music industry unite at Stirling’s Albert Halls to celebrate the strength and diversity of Scotland’s musical talent. The SAY Award will form part of a year-long celebration of Stirling’s 900th anniversary, as the city becomes a hub of live events including the recent Stirling Summer Sessions, a special Twin Atlantic show, the inaugural ‘Interesting Things’ music festival, performances from former SAY nominee Becky Sikasa, as well as performances by artists such as Horse, Turin Brakes, Hue and Cry, Huey Morgan from the Fun Lovin’ Criminals and much much more. For more info, visit stirlingevents.org
The 900th anniversary celebrations also include a series of SAY Award Fringe events at The Tolbooth in the heart of Stirling. The shows will feature special live performances from previous SAY Award nominees who will play the records that saw them nominated for Scotland’s national music prize in full. Stay tuned for the line-up and visit www.stirlingevents.org for more information on Stirling 900.
Robert Kilpatrick, CEO and Creative Director of the Scottish Music Industry Association (SMIA) said: “Scottish music is the soundtrack and stories of our lives. As we commence our thirteenth year delivering Scotland’s national music prize, the SMIA remains firmly committed to celebrating and championing music as an invaluable expression of our cultural identity; amplifying its diverse narratives to enrich society and drive audience development.
“The last few years have been difficult for the cultural sector, with soaring costs, strains on public funding and economic pressures across the board. Thanks to the support of our partners, today marks the start of a 4-month celebration of Scotland’s word-class recorded output. We look forward to immersing ourselves in this year’s eligible albums, and to returning to Stirling’s Albert Halls on Thursday 24 October for 2024’s SAY Award Ceremony. It will undoubtedly be another incredible night to remember, and I hope many of you can join us.”
Stirling Council Leader, Cllr Chris Kane said: “We’re incredibly proud to be welcoming The Scottish Album of the Year Award ceremony back to Stirling for the third consecutive year as the city marks its 900th anniversary.
“Following the success of the events held in 2022 and 2023 at our beautiful Albert Halls venue, we can’t wait to welcome back artists and visitors to celebrate the very best in new Scottish music and showcase everything Stirling has to offer.
“Fresh from the success of Stirling Summer Sessions festival and Twin Atlantic selling out the Tolbooth Stirling in a matter of minutes last week, Stirling continues to show it’s a top-class events location with a vibrant music and creative scene in its 900th year.”
The SAY Award Design Commission has also opened expressions of interest - meaning artists and makers based in the Stirling Council area can register interest to create bespoke prizes for this year’s award winners and nominees; highlighting the enduring links between music, art and design in Scotland. The commissioned artist will be tasked with designing awards with sustainability at the forefront.
Once all eligible albums have been collated for The SAY Award, 100 impartial ‘Nominators’, chosen from sectors including journalism, music retail and music venues across Scotland, nominate and rank their five favourite albums in order of preference. The SMIA assigns a score to each title in a Nominator’s Top 5, before announcing the 20 highest scoring albums as The SAY Award Longlist.
The Longlist will then be whittled down to a Shortlist of 10 albums, one of which will be chosen by music fans via a 72-hour online public vote. The remaining nine albums will be chosen by The SAY Award judging panel, before judges then choose the winning album, exclusively announced at 2024’s ceremony.
The SAY Award is a Scottish Music Industry Association (SMIA) production. The SAY Award 2024 is delivered in partnership with Creative Scotland, Stirling Council, Stirling Alive with Culture, Seabass Vinyl, Ticketmaster, Help Musicians, HMV, FOPP, PPL, the Scottish Government’s Youth Music Initiative, Youth Music and Music Declares Emergency.
The SAY Award’s charity partner is once again Scotland’s national children’s and young people’s mental health charity, Tiny Changes, set up in memory of Frightened Rabbit frontman Scott Hutchison to help young minds feel better.
Now in its thirteenth year, previous winners of The SAY Award include; Young Fathers ‘Heavy Heavy’ (2023), Fergus McCreadie ‘Forest Floor’ (2022), Mogwai ‘As The Love Continues' (2021), Nova ‘Re-Up’ (2020), Auntie Flo ‘Radio Highlife’ (2019), Young Fathers ‘Cocoa Sugar’ (2018), Sacred Paws ‘Strike A Match’ (2017), Anna Meredith ‘Varmints’ (2016), Kathryn Joseph ‘Bones You Have Thrown Me And Blood I’ve Spilled’ (2015), Young Fathers ‘Tape Two’ (2014), RM Hubbert ‘Thirteen Lost & Found’ (2013) and the inaugural winner Bill Wells and Aidan Moffat ‘Everything’s Getting Older’ (2012).
Early-bird SAY Award Ceremony tickets on sale now via www.sayaward.com £18 + booking fee
Image credit: Ryan Buchanan
The Edinburgh Butter Company is excited to announce the launch of Scotland’s first-ever croissant competition, open to bakers across the country.
READ MOREHold onto your popcorn, because Cineworld is thrilled to announce the whirlwind return of the blockbuster hit Twisters to 4DX screens nationwide, due to an overwhelming tornado of popular demand!
READ MOREFilm fans are invited to revisit a galaxy far, far away this September as every main Star Wars film brings some of cinema's most iconic heroes and villains back to the big screen.
READ MOREAre you ready to take on Scotland's greatest running event at this year's AJ Bell Great Scottish Run in Glasgow on Sunday 6 October?
READ MOREFestival-goers attending the fourth Music at the Multiverse festival at the weekend enjoyed fantastic live music, sunshine and showers in one of Scotland’s most spectacular outdoor venues.
READ MOREStudents go FREE with Stena Line on Cairnryan and Liverpool routes.
READ MOREPrepare to be enchanted once again this winter as Monteviot Lights returns to Monteviot House & Gardens!
READ MOREParticipants can choose any novel way of racking up 100 miles this September to help raise crucial funds for those who need it most in the UK.
READ MOREToday, on what would have been Michael Jackson's 66th Birthday, entertainers launch their brand-new show; Man in the Mirror – A Tribute to Michael Jackson.
READ MOREDistinguished Senior Consultant Physician and psychiatrist Lotta Borg Skoglund will present groundbreaking research which challenges outdated views on female ADHD.
READ MOREThe winners of the 2024 Scottish Bar and Pub Awards have been revealed!
READ MOREWith Chef Demos, Cocktail & Mocktail Masterclasses and Wild Food Walks!
READ MOREFilm fans can get their big screen fix at Vue for just £4 this Saturday (31 August) as part of National Cinema Day!
READ MOREA local writer and a school in Fife have been nominated for Scots Language Awards and the local community are urged to get behind them and cast their votes.
READ MOREFresh from a hit run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, where it earned critical and audience acclaim, Scottish Dance Theatre is taking its groundbreaking double-bill The Flock & Moving Cloud on tour.
READ MOREAs the cooler days of Autumn approach, Dobbies Garden Centres is inviting families and gardening enthusiasts to gear up for a colourful spring with its free monthly Grow How sessions this September.
READ MOREThere's just over 6 weeks to go until this year's AJ Bell Great Scottish Run and it's expected to be a sell out!
READ MOREThe Hillend Tavern in Dalgety Bay has been named as one of the top 17 pubs in the UK as part of the Campaign for Real Ale’s (CAMRA) prestigious Pub of the Year competition.
READ MOREThe Caped Crusader turned 85 this year and to celebrate Vue venues across Scotland are showcasing some of the comic book hero’s most loved films.
READ MOREDobbies Garden Centres is readying itself for Santa's arrival and counting down the days to spread festive joy this Christmas, as it unveils a magical array of fun, great value events!
READ MOREThe finalists have been revealed for this year's Scottish Bar and Pub Awards and the shortlist features some great Fife favourites!
READ MOREDobbies is nurturing the next generation of gardeners with its free Little Seedlings Club workshop this September, inviting young gardeners to explore mindfulness in a fun and engaging way.
READ MOREBen Lomond Gin, the Official Gin of The AIG Women’s Open, has launched an exciting Gin Trail in St Andrew’s ahead of the prestigious golf tournament.
READ MOREOne of the biggest employers of Santas and elves announces its festive recruitment drive.
READ MORESummer Music Festival set to return to the South of Scotland with an exception line-up featuring The Hoosiers, Toploader, Tide Lines, Colonel Mustard and the Dijon 5 and more!
READ MOREIt's a week until Glasgow once again welcomes The World Pipe Band Championships, a spectacular highlight of Scotland's annual cultural calendar that's always highly anticipated and extremely popular.
READ MOREWith just 2 months to go, organisers of the AJ Bell Great Scottish Run have revealed the medal design for the thousands of finishers at the 2024 half marathon and 10k.
READ MOREScottish Ensemble kick off their 2024-25 season with a tour of intimate Scottish venues in Arran, Kirkcudbright, Perth, Mull, Seil and Glasgow from 5 – 12 September.
READ MOREUK's number 1 kid's show Bluey arrives at Vue this month – with tickets on sale now!
READ MOREA search for new Scottish talent has officially launched with The Scottish Album of the Year (SAY) Award opening applications for The Sound of Young Scotland Award.
READ MORE