Shortlist for SAY Award 2026 unveiled
Boards Of Canada, Swim School, Barry Can’t Swim and a host of other major Scottish talent made the shortlist
The shortlist for the SAY Award has been announced, featuring ten Scottish albums from the past year in the fields of electronica, rock, jazz, dance and trad. Included in the shortlist is a number of major Scottish acts, including rising electronica star Barry Can’t Swim, female and non-binary group Hen Hoose Collective, and trad mainstay Brìghde Chaimbeul. Michael McGovern’s Thin White Road won the public vote, whilst the nine remaining albums were chosen by The SAY Award judging panel.
Also in the running are pioneering electronica duo Boards Of Canada (pictured above) for Inferno, their first new material in more than a decade. The band will also be awarded the Modern Scottish Classic Award for their influential 1998 debut, Music Has The Right To Children, making them the first act who could potentially win two SAY awards in one evening.
Also of note is Heir Of The Cursed’s self-titled debut album, as the first posthumous entry into the shortlist. Beldina Odenyo, the artistic force behind Heir Of The Cursed, took her life in 2021 after a promising start as a musician and artist. The nomination comes as Odenyo’s legacy receives a wellspring of recognition, thanks in part to the recently released documentary on her life, Bel. Heir Of The Cursed joins Sonedo, Swim School and VLURE as first-time nominees. Every act in the shortlist has won £1,000, while the winner will receive £20,000.
Here’s the SAY shortlist in full:
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
Alongside the SAY and Sound Of Modern Scotland Award, finalists for the Sound Of Young Scotland award were announced. Up for the financial prize package worth up to £10,000 are heavyskint, Jasmin Jet, LOLA, Niamh Corkey and Nikhita.
Winners for the SAY Awards will be announced on Thursday 5 November at Dundee’s Caird Hall, which will feature special performances from past SAY winners Kai Reesu and last year’s Sound Of Young Scotland winner Alice Faye, as well as the SAY Award house band reinterpreting tracks from Music Has The Right To Children.
Robert Kilpatrick, CEO and creative director of the Scottish Music Industry Association (SMIA) said: 'Congratulations to all ten Shortlisted artists, as well as our five Sound of Young Scotland finalists and this year’s Modern Scottish Classic Award winner – Boards of Canada’s Music Has The Right To Children. The strength and diversity of this collective output reflects a music community that continues to evolve, take risks and find new ways to connect. Each artist and record brings a distinctive voice to Scotland’s cultural identity, and together they remind us why music continues to be such an invaluable national asset.
‘That value is at the heart of the Scottish Music Industry Roadmap 2026–30, which the SMIA published last week. Its eight national priorities share an ambition that has long driven The SAY Award: to ensure that the talent and creativity we celebrate are matched by the support and opportunities needed to sustain them. Behind these albums are people, businesses and music communities whose work enriches our lives and connects Scotland with the world. The SAY Award exists to support and champion that work, investing directly in artists and helping their music reach new audiences. We’re grateful to all our partners for continuing to make this possible.
‘With just three weeks until we return to Dundee’s Caird Hall on Thursday 5 November, we couldn’t be more excited to celebrate our 15th year with a night of outstanding live music and the announcement of this year’s SAY Award winner. Final tickets are on sale now. We hope you can join us.’
Previous winners of the SAY Award include Kai Reesu’s Kompromat Vol I, Redolent’s Dinny Greet, Young Fathers’ Heavy Heavy and Fergus McCreadie Forest Floor.
SAY Award ceremony, Caird Hall, Dundee, Thursday 5 November.