The Hot 100 2016: 100–91
Chvrches, Theo Kottis, Helen Sedgwick and Jack Lowden among our favourite cultural contributors this year
100 JK Rowling
Between the stage adaptation of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and the film of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, JKR has had yet another incredibly lucrative year. Her penchant for Twitter spats and political soapboxing is, perhaps, less treasured. (NB)
99 Billy Connolly
Hopping on his High Horse in November for what will probably be his final national live tour, Billy Connolly also received the Inspiration Award from GQ in amusingly brusque fashion. His body may be slowing down but that mind remains mercurial. (BD)
98 Jack Lowden
The War & Peace star went on to take the lead in Tommy's Honour, the drama based on legendary golfer Tommy Morris that opened the Edinburgh International Film Festival this year. We're also really excited to see this charming man become Morrissey in the forthcoming biopic. (RM)
97 Chris Brookmyre
Black Widow, Chris Brookmyre's newest twisty thriller was released at the beginning of 2016. The book went on to rake in plaudits, including the McIlvanney Prize for best Scottish crime novel. (KS)
96 Sumayya Usmani
Sumayya Usmani has shared her passion for Pakistani cuisine through her My Tamarind Kitchen blog as well as hosting various cookery classes in London and Glasgow, where she now lives. Her cookbook, Summers Under the Tamarind Tree, was published in April this year. (LS)
95 Helen Sedgwick
Physicist-turned-author Helen Sedgwick's debut novel The Comet Seekers was released in August to acclaim from critics and peers alike. Since then, the author has appeared at festivals across the country, including Edinburgh International Book Festival, the Book Fringe and Wigtown. (KS)
94 Theo Kottis
With releases on Moda Black, Anjunadeep and Sasha's Last Night On Earth label, Edinburgh-based producer Theo Kottis is a rising star on the Scottish electronic music scene, having formerly been a promoter of some legendary club nights. (AQ)
93 Chvrches
Sadly, there was no new album to get our teeth into during 2016, but the remix of 'Bury It' featuring Paramore's Hayley Williams was huge. As are Chvrches themselves: they're still one of the biggest pop bands in Scotland, and we're bracing ourselves for more excellent material to come. (RM)
92 Sandy Grierson
Apart from being the go-to performer for any Scottish icon, Grierson has played Faust at the RSC, a sardonic everyman in the National Theatre of Scotland's Anything That Gives Off Light and won the Best Male Performance at the CATS for the title role in Lanark. (GKV)
91 #Scotlitfest
This online literary festival was held in June as part of the Saltire Society's 80th anniversary celebrations, and featured digital chats with the likes of Michel Faber, Diana Gabaldon, AL Kennedy and more. It was accessible, modern, and, frankly, #genius. (RM)