The Scottish Album of the Year (SAY) Award is Scotland’s national music prize; celebrating Scottish music, and the cultural impact and contribution of outstanding Scottish albums.
Produced by the Scottish Music Industry Association (SMIA), The SAY Award exists to:
- Enrich Scotland’s cultural identity by recognising, rewarding and championing the strength and diversity of Scotland’s recorded output; past, present and future.
- Stimulate a national focus on music by providing an annual focal point to celebrate it; driving audiences, instilling civic pride and increasing cultural confidence.
- Inspire the listening, learning, playing and creation of music, especially by young people, to ensure the continued vibrancy of Scottish music both now and in the future.
- Enhance the profile, reputation and credibility of Scotland’s artists and music industry; both domestically and internationally.
...in order to strengthen and increase the value of Scotland’s music industry on the world stage: economically, socially and culturally.
Placing artistic merit before sales history, genre or record label affiliation, The SAY Award dispenses with categorisation, opting instead for the creation of a bold, unifying platform from which Scotland’s most outstanding albums – across all genres – can be celebrated, discovered and championed. With previous Longlist titles featuring hip-hop, rock, alternative, traditional, folk, classical, dubstep, reggae, pop and jazz, The SAY Award accommodates Scottish music in all its influential, inspiring and idiosyncratic glory.
Wielding a £20,000 prize for the winner, 9 runner-up prizes of £1,000 each and a design commission which highlights the enduring links between music, art and design in Scotland, The SAY Award is respected by artists, valued by the industry and is responsible for both a surge in musical discovery and an explosion of impassioned debate on social media.
In 2021, two supporting awards were introduced to accompany the main album of the year prize; the Modern Scottish Classic Award (recognising an outstanding album from Scotland’s past) and The Sound of Young Scotland Award (facilitating the creation of a debut album from a young and emerging Scottish artist). Both awards return again for 2024, with more details to be announced in due course.
