THE SAY AWARD has officially opened the public vote for this year’s shortlist.

Music fans can now have their say on the award ceremony, and vote for their favourite Scottish album from the recently announced longlist to secure its place in 2022’s 10-strong Shortlist.

Music fans are given a 72-hour window from 2nd-4th October to vote at sayaward.com, and the album with the most votes will secure a minimum prize of £1,000 and remain in the running for the £20,000 grand prize and coveted title of Scottish Album of the Year. The nine other Shortlisted albums will be selected by this year’s SAY Award judging panel, who will then together consider the Shortlist and determine 2023’s SAY Award winner.

The SAY Award Longlist in alphabetical order is:

  • Andrew Wasylyk Hearing The Water Before Seeing The Falls
  • Becky Sikasa Twelve Wooden Boxes
  • Bemz Nova’s Dad
  • Brìghde ChaimbeulCarry Them With Us
  • Brooke Combe Black Is the New Gold
  • Brownbear Demons
  • Cloth Secret Measure
  • Comfort What’s Bad Enough?
  • Eyes of Others Eyes of Others
  • Free Love Inside
  • Hamish Hawk Angel Numbers
  • Joesef Permanent Damage
  • Juliette Lemoine Soaring
  • Kapil Seshasayee Laal
  • LVRA Soft Like Steel
  • Paolo Nutini Last Night in the Bittersweet
  • Scott William Urquhart & Constant Follower Even Days Dissolve
  • The Snuts Burn The Empire
  • Su-a Lee Dialogues
  • Young Fathers Heavy Heavy

This year’s winner will be exclusively announced at Stirling’s Albert Halls on Thursday 26 October. They will be revealed alongside the winner of The Sound of Young Scotland Award and the Modern Scottish Classic Award. The Sound of Young Scotland Award aims to stimulate the future of Scottish music and provides a young and emerging artist with financial support to enable the creation of their debut album, whilst the Modern Scottish Classic Award recognises an iconic album from Scotland’s past that still inspires today.

Robert Kilpatrick, interim CEO and creative director of the Scottish Music Industry Association (SMIA) said: “The SAY Award public vote is the chance for music fans to have their SAY in the determination of the Shortlist. From the 20 outstanding Scottish albums that made this year’s Longlist, the public’s choice will automatically be guaranteed a place in the 10-strong Shortlist along with a minimum prize of £1,000.

“In any year prize money is important for artists, but as Scotland’s music industry faces yet another devastating blow with the recently announced Government cuts to culture funding, The SAY Award prize fund remains vitally important as wider support erodes at an alarming rate. The myriad of financial challenges currently facing the sector is impacting artists at all levels, so now’s the time to get behind your favourite Longlisted record and secure its place in the Shortlist.

“The SAY Award winner will receive a £20,000 prize, and the SMIA is proud of its ongoing key commitment to the value of music in Scotland; made possible through the support of our long-term partners Creative Scotland. Best of luck to each of this year’s nominees – we eagerly anticipate which records will make the Shortlist, and we look forward to the exclusive announcement of this year’s winner as we celebrate the cultural impact and contribution of incredible Scottish music at The SAY Award Ceremony later this month.”

Voting closes tomorrow night on 4th October at 00:00.

Have your say and vote for your favourite album here.