Scottish Album Of The Year Award opens entries for 2026
The SAY Awards is entering its 15th edition with a return to Dundee and a £20,000 cash prize
The call for entries is beginning for the Scottish Album Of The Year (SAY) Award, the country’s annual celebration of music. Marking its 15th anniversary this year, the ceremony will return to Dundee for the second year running and will once again invite artists, industry professionals and fans to submit eligible albums for free for the chance to win £20,000 in prize money.
Submissions are officially open at the SAY Award site, with the submission window closing at 11.59pm on Thursday 30 July 2026. The SAY Award has also opened expressions of interest for its Design Commission, calling on Dundee creators to design prizes for this year’s nominees and winners. A submission of interest can be found on the SAY Award site. Early-bird tickets for 2026’s SAY Award Ceremony, which will be held in Caird Hall, are on sale now.
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Robert Kilpatrick, CEO and creative director of the Scottish Music Industry Association (SMIA) said: ‘It’s hard to believe that 2026 marks 15 years of SAY. To date, 280 Longlisted albums have been celebrated and championed, and more than £425,000 in prize money has been distributed to outstanding Scottish artists.
‘When I think about what the award does – what it says about who we are as a nation and how we value our music and culture – I’m really proud of the continued commitment from our partners in making everything we do possible.
‘We’re delighted to be returning to Dundee’s Caird Hall this November for a landmark celebration, and to be welcoming Fettercairn on board as our headline partner.
‘Best of luck to all artists who submit eligible albums, and we look forward to what will be another incredible celebration of the strength and diversity of Scottish music later this year.’
Last year’s winners were the alt-jazz and hip-hop group Kai Reesu with Kompromat vol. i. While collecting the award, Paul Copeland of Kai Reesu said: ‘Thank you so much, this is quite unexpected because we were honestly just having fun with this album. It’s so good that it resonated with people. I want to thank my mother, who’s here… and without her honestly none of this could be possible. We recorded a lot of this stuff in her living room. I think people should have more fun when they’re making music and just make more music right now.'
Other past winners include rEDOLENT, Young Fathers, Kathryn Joseph, Mogwai, Anna Meredith, and Fergus McCreadie.