Photography by Lydia Smith / @misslydiaphoto
PRESS RELEASE, 29th October 2026
THE SCOTTISH ALBUM OF THE YEAR AWARD REVEALS 2026’S PRIZES CRAFTED FROM RECYCLED PLASTIC BY LOCAL DUNDEE MAKER
PLUS, PERFORMANCES TO CELEBRATE 15 YEARS OF SCOTLAND’S NATIONAL MUSIC PRIZE ANNOUNCED FOR CEREMONY
Final tickets via www.sayaward.com
View images of prizes HERE
SAY Award images HERE
#SAYaward #SAYDundee
29th October – With only one week to go until Scotland’s national music prize announces 2026’s winner, The Scottish Album of the Year (SAY) Award has unveiled the first look at this year’s prizes, handcrafted by local maker Camillo Atlas from recycled plastic collected from across Dundee. Plus, celebrating its 15th year in 2026, The SAY Award Ceremony, delivered in partnership with Fettercairn, will host special performances honouring previous winning albums, reimagined in a new way by contemporary Scottish artists.
Final tickets for The SAY Award Ceremony on Thursday 5th November in Dundee’s Caird Hall available from www.sayaward.com
TROPHIES INSPIRED BY DUNDEE ITSELF TO BE AWARDED ON THE NIGHT
Each year, The SAY Award Design Commission funds local makers in its host city to create bespoke prizes for the musicians recognised at the Ceremony, including all Shortlisted artists and The SAY Award winner, plus the Modern Scottish Classic and Sound of Young Scotland winners.
This year, local Dundee designer and maker Camillo Atlas was selected to create the 12 prizes with a key focus on sustainability and encouraged to draw inspiration from the city of Dundee itself. Originally from Germany and a graduate of Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design, Camillo has created bespoke trophies from waste plastic such as bottle tops and shampoo bottles, following a call out to the local community in Dundee. Camillo also sourced, designed and manufactured the awards within a two mile radius of The SAY Award Ceremony venue, the Caird Hall.
Dundonians were able to donate HDPE waste plastic, before Camillo paired exposed plywood edges and repurposed ash with the vividly coloured plastic. Stepped vertical forms and sweeping curves give the pieces a sculptural presence, drawing on abstract shapes found in Dundee’s architecture and urban landscape. The city is present in the selected materials as well as the forms: Camillo sourced the reclaimed plastics and timber offcuts within Dundee, from schools, exhibition displays, and local wood workshops; involving local businesses and the community in their collection.
On his appointment for The SAY Award Design Commission, Camillo Atlas said, “It’s a real honour to design and make this year’s SAY Awards. Created from recycled plastic collected across Dundee, each award transforms discarded materials into something lasting and meaningful. Drawing inspiration from Dundee’s urban landscape and architectural forms, every piece is unique, reflecting both the individuality of the music being celebrated and the collective effort of the community that helped bring the awards to life.”
Lizzie Day, Project Coordinator at UNESCO City of Design Dundee said, “We’re so excited to reveal Camillo Atlas’s designs for this year’s SAY Awards. Camillo’s work explores the potential of reclaimed and waste materials, reforming them into something entirely new whilst always keeping sustainability at the core. At UNESCO City of Design Dundee, we believe in the power of design and the essential place of designers in the life of the city. Camillo has truly transformed Dundee’s waste plastic into beautiful, one-of-a-kind designs.”
LIVE PERFORMANCES TO CELEBRATE FORMER WINNERS IN THE SAY AWARD’S 15TH YEAR
Dundee’s Caird Hall will welcome Scotland’s music industry for the second year in a row, as the country’s biggest national music prize is unveiled live on the night. Hosted by Vic Galloway and Nicola Meighan, this year’s Ceremony will honour the award’s 15th year by hosting special performances celebrating SAY Award winners.Building on its 10th anniversary celebration at Edinburgh’s Usher Hall in 2021, a five-piece house band led by Joe Rattray will reimagine songs from the winning albums of 2021–2024, joined by special guests.
Mogwai ‘As The Love Continues’ (2021) performed by The Ninth Wave
Fergus McCreadie ‘Forest Floor’ (2022) performed by The SAY Award house band
Young Fathers ‘Heavy Heavy’ (2023) performed by Billy Got Waves and Leon Power
and rEDOLENT ‘dinny greet’ (2024) performed by Carla J Easton.
Each performance will see fellow Scottish artists reimagine and celebrate a chosen song from these SAY Award winning albums.
Plus, 2026’s Modern Scottish Classic Award winner, Boards of Canada’s 1998 debut ‘Music Has The Right to Children’ will be celebrated by The SAY Award house band, alongside specially commissioned visuals from Tom Schofield, whose music as Konx-om-Pax was Shortlisted for The SAY Award in 2017.
These anniversary performances join the previously announced line-up of 2025 winners Kai Reesu, and Sound of Young Scotland winner Alice Faye as The SAY Award celebrates Scottish music’s past, present and future.
WINNER OF COVETED TITLE REVEALED LIVE ON THE NIGHT
10 Shortlisted albums are in the running for this year’s coveted title and £20,000 prize, whilst five Sound of Young Scotland finalists have also been revealed as: heavyskint, Jasmin Jet, LOLA, Niamh Corkey and Nikhita.
The SAY Award 2026 Shortlist, in alphabetical order, is:
Barry Can’t Swim Loner
Boards of Canada Inferno
Brìghde Chaimbeul Sunwise
Heir of the Cursed Heir of the Cursed
Hen Hoose Collective The Twelve
Michael McGovern Thin White Road
Sonedo From Here On Out
Swim School Swim School
Vagrant Real Estate Neither Collar Nor Crown
Vlure ESCALATE
The SAY Award is a Scottish Music Industry Association (SMIA) production. The SAY Award 2026 is delivered in partnership with Fettercairn, Creative Scotland, Leisure & Culture Dundee, V&A Dundee, Dundee City Council, UNESCO City of Design Dundee, Seabass Vinyl, PPL, HMV, FOPP, the Scottish Government’s Youth Music Initiative, Youth Music, Apex Hotels, Malmaison,Music Declares Emergency and Six° North.
Previous winners of The SAY Award include; Kai Reesu ‘KOMPROMAT Vol.i’ (2025), redolent ‘dinny greet’ (2024), 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).
Now in its sixth year, previous winners of the Modern Scottish Classic Award are: KT Tunstall ‘Eye to the Telescope’ (2025), Martyn Bennett ‘Grit’ (2024), Paolo Nutini ‘These Streets’ (2023), Cocteau Twins ‘Heaven or Las Vegas’ (2022) and Frightened Rabbit ‘The Midnight Organ Fight’ (2021).
Previous winners of the Sound of Young Scotland Award are: Alice Faye (2025), Dillon Barrie (2024), No Windows (2023), Berta Kennedy (2022), LVRA (2021).
Follow The SAY Award on social media across Instagram @sayaward, Facebook @SAYaward , TikTok @thesayaward and X @SAYaward
ENDS
View logos and images HERE
THE SAY AWARD PRESS OFFICE
Colette Baptie | colettebaptiepr@gmail.com | 07807 887 527
NOTES TO EDITOR
SCOTTISH MUSIC INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION (SMIA)
The Scottish Music Industry Association (SMIA) is a not-for-profit trade body and membership organisation which exists to strengthen, empower and unite Scotland’s music industry.
We work to create and nurture an inclusive membership community which reflects the full spectrum of Scotland’s music industry. We give voice to our membership when speaking to Government, Parliament and development organisations, and we both produce and support projects and programmes that stimulate sustainability, domestic and international growth, development and innovation in Scotland’s music sector. Our services, projects and events are designed to strengthen and increase the value of Scotland’s music industry on the world stage; economically, socially and culturally.
The SMIA receives Multi-Year Funding from Creative Scotland, the public body that supports the arts, screen and creative industries across all parts of Scotland on behalf of everyone who lives, works or visits here.
For further information on the SMIA and its services, projects and events please visit www.smia.org.uk.
Keep up to date with the SMIA across our social media channels – Instagram: instagram.com/the_smia | Twitter: twitter.com/TheSMIA | Facebook: facebook.com/TheSMIA
FETTERCAIRN
For over two hundred years Fettercairn distillery has been at the heart of a thriving agricultural community in Aberdeenshire, a region known as “The Garden of Scotland”.
It is a place where people have always imagined things differently. That attitude is epitomised in our unique copper cooling ring which sits at the top of our stills, drenching them with water from the Cairngorm mountains and allowing only the lightest vapours to rise. The process creates a completely unique spirit, rich in tropical notes.
This lets us start layering flavour at every stage of our process, creating our imaginative take on Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky.
About Fettercairn Distillery
Fettercairn Distillery was founded in Aberdeenshire in 1824 with a completely unique copper cooling ring added to its stills in the 1950s. This innovation lends the whiskies a characteristically light and tropical flavour that has won international recognition. The core Fettercairn range continues to demonstrate this progressive approach to whisky-making and includes a 12 year-old, 16 year-old and a 24 year-old Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky alongside limited releases and those exclusive to global travel retail.
CREATIVE SCOTLAND
Creative Scotland is the public body that supports culture and creativity across all parts of Scotland, distributing funding provided by the Scottish Government and The National Lottery. Further information at creativescotland.com. Follow Creative Scotland on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
CAIRD HALL
Caird Hall is Dundee’s premier concert and events venue, located at the heart of the city. Operated by Leisure & Culture Dundee, the venue is renowned for its grand architecture, excellent acoustics and versatile space.
Caird Hall hosts a diverse range of performances and events, from classical concerts and gigs of all genres to conferences and graduations.
With a seating capacity of up to 2,300 and a stunning setting overlooking City Square, the hall continues to attract world-class artists and touring productions.
Easily accessible by road, rail, and bus, Caird Hall offers modern facilities while preserving its historic charm, making it a distinctive venue for audiences and performers alike.
For more information, visit https://www.leisureandculturedundee.com/culture/caird-hall
LEISURE & CULTURE DUNDEE
Leisure & Culture Dundee is a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO) dedicated to enriching lives by delivering high-quality leisure, sport, cultural, and library services across Dundee. Established to serve the people of Dundee and its visitors, we operate a diverse portfolio of venues and programmes that inspire participation, promote wellbeing, and celebrate the city’s rich cultural heritage.
We are proud to be at the heart of Dundee’s community life, managing libraries, museums, galleries, sports centres, and performance venues that are accessible, inclusive, and welcoming to all. Our work supports health and well-being, lifelong learning, social inclusion and economic development.
For more information, visit https://www.leisureandculturedundee.com/
V&A DUNDEE
V&A Dundee is Scotland’s design museum. Designed for everyone – firing imaginations and sparking curiosity in design in Scotland and around the world, from the heart of Dundee’s reimagined waterfront.
Conceived as a 21st century museum and designed by Kengo Kuma, V&A Dundee is a place of activity and energy, presenting spectacular exhibitions and a range of vibrant design experiences across our building, plaza and city. V&A Dundee brings design from all over the world to Scotland and gives a new voice and platform to Scottish design and designers.
V&A Dundee is part of the V&A family of museums, supported by the Scottish Government and our founding partnership of V&A, Dundee City Council, the University of Dundee, Abertay University and Scottish Enterprise.
@VADundee
Dundee City Council
Dundee City Council is the local authority for Dundee, a modern, vibrant city which is continuing to transform culturally. Its priorities include delivering inclusive economic growth, tackling climate change, reducing inequalities and child poverty and empowering communities. The Council delivers services aimed at providing a better quality of life for the people of Dundee, ensuring the city remains a great place to live, work, study, and visit.
UNESCO City of Design Dundee
Dundee is the UK’s first and only UNESCO City of Design. Highlighting Dundee’s commitment to sustainable development through creativity, the global designation as a Creative City acknowledges Dundee’s rich design heritage, its thriving contemporary design sector and a city committed to using design to solve problems making Dundee a better place to live. The UNESCO City of Design projects and programmes celebrate and demonstrate the impact of design, embrace co-design and promote Dundee’s design talent.
SEABASS VINYL
Seabass Vinyl is Scotland’s first vinyl pressing plant. We are an independent, family-owned business, manufacturing records from our factory in East Lothian, with an emphasis on quality and sustainability. We offer fair prices, short production runs and optimised production lead times. We’re the first vinyl record pressing plant in the UK to become carbon-neutral certified (with Carbon Neutral Britain). Our ambition is to become a valuable partner to the Scottish music industry and our local community.
PPL
PPL is the UK music industry’s collective management organisation (CMO) for performers and recording rightsholders. We help ensure that our members’ talent and investment is fairly rewarded.
We license recorded music in the UK when it is broadcast (TV and radio) or played in public places (retail, hospitality, workplaces, gyms, etc). When our members’ music is played around the world, they can appoint us to collect royalties through our network of 117 agreements with other CMOs.
Our members include both independent and major record companies, together with performers ranging from emerging grassroots artists through to established session musicians and global superstars.
In 2025, PPL’s revenue exceeded £315 million, and we paid over 182,000 performers and recording rightsholders. In the last five years alone, PPL has distributed over £1.25 billion to performers and recording rightsholders.
HMV
HMV, for the fans since 1921. A leading specialist retailer of music, film, pop culture and technology products, with over 100 stores around the UK & Ireland offering a wide selection of new release and catalogue titles
FOPP
YOUTH MUSIC INITIATIVE
In 2003, the Scottish Government’s Youth Music Initiative (YMI) was launched to put music at the heart of young people’s lives and learning. It currently operates with an annual budget of £9.785 million and supports all musical genres, age groups and teaching methods. You can find out more about the programme on the Creative Scotland website.
YOUTH MUSIC
Youth Music is a national charity. We help marginalised young people to make and monetise music.
Every year, we raise £10 million to fund inspirational grassroots music projects and support aspiring young creatives up and down the UK.
We’re campaigning to break down barriers for young people facing inequity, exclusion and discrimination.
Together with our partners, we’re helping the next generation to transform their lives through music.
MUSIC DECLARES EMERGENCY
Formed by a group of UK based artists and music industry professionals in London in 2019, Music Declares Emergency has now expanded to four continents and works with over 8000 declarers from all sectors and areas of the global music industry, placing music at the heart of conversation and action in relation to the climate emergency.
Our work engages fans with the facts, develops messaging that cuts through the noise, works with artists to use their platforms, and encourages new business practice.
Our ‘No Music On A Dead Planet’ message has been seen by millions and frames a community of music lovers dedicated to working with us and the movement to campaign for systemic change to deliver real action on climate.
APEX HOTELS
Apex Hotels is a family-owned collection of nine properties located across the UK’s key destinations including London, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee, Bath and Dunblane in Stirlingshire.
Founded in Edinburgh’s historic Grassmarket in 1996, the group has grown into one of the UK’s leading independent hotel brands with heartfelt hospitality at the heart of the Apex Hotels experience.
Apex continues to strengthen its environmental and social impact through Apex Earth and other ESG initiatives, with all UK hotels holding Green Tourism Accreditation at Gold status across all city-centre properties.
MALMAISON DUNDEE
Nestled in the lively heart of Scotland’s fourth-largest city and perched on the banks of the charming River Tay, Malmaison Dundee is a haven of sophistication and style. This hotel, just a casual stroll from popular attractions like the V&A Dundee museum, RRS Discovery, and the Caird Hall concert venue, is your perfect Scottish getaway. Malmaison Dundee’s rooms spell style and comfort, with options including standard rooms, club rooms, and suites. Each space is a tribute to luxury, boasting plush bedding, modern decor, and a wealth of amenities like flat-screen TVs, minibars, and complimentary Wi-Fi.
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