Scottish Album of the Year to be revealed in Edinburgh

The most prestigious night in Scotland’s music calendar is heading to Edinburgh

It has been confirmed that the Scottish Album of the Year Award will make its debut in the capital city in September.

Now in its eighth year, The SAY Award is Scotland’s national music prize and celebrates, promotes and rewards the most outstanding albums released each year.

Showcasing the incredible strength and diversity of Scotland’s musical landscape, artists, industry and music fans will be able to submit eligible albums for 2019’s campaign via sayaward.com from 1 May. With no entry fee or marketing contribution required from artists or their labels, the award is a highly accessible platform for artists of all genres and at any stage of their career.

Boasting a £20,000 prize for the winner, nine runner-up prizes of £1000 each and a design commission which highlights the enduring links between music, art and design in Scotland, The SAY Award weids one of the UK’s most lucrative prize funds (supported by Creative Scotland) and has distributed a total of £203,000 in prize money to some of Scotland’s most important and influential artists since launching in 2012.

Award organisers the Scottish Music Industry Association (SMIA) are bringing both ‘Live at the Longlist’ (a ticketed live music event announcing the 20 outstanding albums nominated for the prize) and the final award ceremony to Edinburgh in 2019.

‘Live at the Longlist’ will take place in July at The Queen’s Hall as part of the venue’s 40th anniversary celebrations throughout 2019. Working in partnership with Edinburgh City Council, the final award ceremony will then take place in September at The Assembly Rooms, celebrating each of this year’s nominated albums and revealing who will receive the coveted title of Scottish Album of the Year and the £20,000 first prize.

Robert Kilpatrick, general manager, Scottish Music Industry Association (SMIA) said: ‘The SMIA is absolutely delighted to be bringing the Scottish Album of the Year (SAY) Award to Edinburgh in 2019. Edinburgh has no shortage of fantastic cultural events, but as Scotland’s national music prize, we’re delighted to see one of our country’s most exciting music events make its debut in the capital city.

‘As has been well documented, live music in Edinburgh has faced challenging times in recent years with the loss of several key grassroots venues. Edinburgh excels at providing a platform for many other cultural strands, so we are delighted to be working with Edinburgh City Council to amplify the cultural importance of live music in our capital city.’

Alan Morrison, head of music, Creative Scotland said: ‘Following in the footsteps of last year’s winners, Edinburgh trio Young Fathers, it’s great to see the SAY Award head to the capital for its 2019 edition. The city has its own enviable history of music, from the folk revival days of the 1960s, through the post-punk years, to a vibrant international classical scene. Hosting both Live At The Longlist and the SAY Award ceremony itself will be a tremendous boost to Edinburgh’s musical energy. Creative Scotland is proud to support an event that champions the very best of Scotland’s music across all genres.’

Respected by artists and valued by the industry, each year The SAY Award is responsible for a surge in musical discovery and an explosion of impassioned debate on social media. Previous winners are Young Fathers’ ‘Cocoa Sugar’ (2018), Sacred Paws’ ‘Strike A Match’ (2017),

Anna Meredith’s ‘Varmints’ (2016), Kathryn Joseph’s ‘Bones You Have Thrown Me And Blood I’ve Spilled’ (2015), Young Fathers’ ‘Tape Two’ (2014), RM Hubbert’s ‘Thirteen Lost & Found’ (2013) and Bill Wells & Aidan Moffat’s ‘Everything’s Getting Older’ (2012).
For more information on The SAY Award, please visit www.sayaward.com