Plus, performances to celebrate 15 years of Scotland's national music prize announced for ceremony
Final tickets via
www.sayaward.com
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).
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