For the very first time, the Scottish Album of the Year Award will be held online. Usually held in Edinburgh at the historic venue The Assembly Rooms, people from all over the country can watch the ceremony from the comfort of their own homes via YouTube.
The SAY Award have announced the news of going online this year due to the current COVID-19 pandemic as it is in their best interest to keep artists and audiences safety a priority. Although, it isn’t all bad news for Scottish artists as this year’s ceremony will feature judges from four different nations, allowing Scottish music to expand its links even further. This can only mean more success for the artists.
At a time like this it vital for the music industry to thrive even more and to showcase new talent. Music officer for Creative Scotland, Jamie Houston, says ‘The SAY Award provides a important spotlight for that talent, and in a year when so much is changing, there has never been more important time to celebrate and support the depth and breadth of music-making here. I’d encourage everyone to buy albums, discover great new music and vote for your favourites from indie, hip-hop, jazz, classical, trad and everything in-between.’
Beginning in 2012, the SAY Award has become one of Scotland’s most popular music ceremonies. It has seen the likes of Auntie Flo, Young Fathers and Sacred Paws take the winning prizes of £20,000, with each of the 9 runners up receiving £1000. This is certainly an exciting time of year for artists in the Scottish music industry.
From 8am this morning, submissions were open for fans to submit their favourite albums from 1st April 2019 to the 31st May 2020. Nominations can be submitted on sayaward.com and are open until the 31st July. Due to the current situation, fans from all over are able to follow the SAY Award from now until the day of the event, 29th October 2020.
The awards celebrate music of all genres, from indie to folk, rock to classical, hip-hop to traditional and much much more and is without a doubt one of the greatest moments for Scottish artists to showcase their talent and to grow even further.
