The Scottish Industry Music Association is delighted to announce the 20 outstanding albums on the 2026 Longlist, now in the running for the £20,000 prize and coveted title. The list encompasses six debut albums, as well as releases from former SAY Award winner Fergus McCreadie and former Sound of Young Scotland nominee Pippa Blundell. Spanning genres from jazz to Gaelic folk, electronic, alternative rock, hip-hop and more, the Longlist showcases the strength and diversity of Scotland’s recorded output over the last 12 months.
The SAY Award Longlist 2026 in alphabetical order is:
- Admiral Fallow First Of The Birds
- Andrew Wasylyk Irreparable Parables
- Barry Can’t Swim Loner
- Biffy Clyro Futique
- Boards of Canada Inferno
- Brìghde Chaimbeul Sunwise
- Brògeal Tuesday Paper Club
- Emma Pollock Begging The Night To Take Hold
- Fergus McCreadie The Shieling
- Heir of the Cursed Heir of the Cursed
- Hen Hoose Collective The Twelve
- Michael McGovern Thin White Road
- Pippa Blundell common thread
- Sian araon
- Sonedo From Here On Out
- Swim School Swim School
- The Twilight Sad IT’S THE LONG GOODBYE
- Vagrant Real Estate Neither Collar Nor Crown
- Valtos The Last Light
- VLURE ESCALATE
All 20 albums are now in the running for the £20,000 prize and prestigious title of Scottish Album of the Year, with the winner set to be unveiled at this year’s Ceremony, taking place on Thursday 5th November at Dundee’s Caird Hall. Music fans have a final chance to secure early-bird tickets for The SAY Award Ceremony, delivered in partnership with Fettercairn, now via www.sayaward.com. General sale commences on Monday 28 September.
The SAY Award Longlist is a result of an extraordinary nationwide consultation amongst Scotland’s music and arts communities. 100 impartial ‘Nominators’, chosen from sectors including journalism, music retail and music venues across Scotland, nominate and rank their five favourite eligible albums in order of preference. The Scottish Music Industry Association (SMIA), who produce the award, assigns a score to each title in a Nominator’s Top 5, with the 20 highest scoring albums forming The SAY Award Longlist.
Whittled down from 303 eligible album submissions, this year’s Longlist showcases the breadth and depth of Scottish music talent from Sian’s Gaelic folk araon to Barry Can’t Swim’s electronic dance on Loner, Sonedo’s blend of jazz and rap, plus Valtos’ electro-trad Celtic fusion on The Last Light. Artists hail from Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee, Isle of Skye, Dingwall, and more. The Longlist also features Heir of the Cursed‘s self-titled debut album which was released posthumously by Beldina Odenyo’s sister in August 2025.
Robert Kilpatrick, CEO and Creative Director of the Scottish Music Industry Association (SMIA) said:
“It’s hard to believe that 2026 marks The SAY Award’s 15th year, with over £425,000 in prize money distributed to Scottish artists to date – and soon to be more. As ever, the 20-strong Longlist showcases a bold, intimate, powerful and ever-evolving recorded output from across our country – one that continues to inspire, captivate, challenge and connect. Music is at the heart of our cultural identity, and each year The SAY Award Longlist gives us the opportunity to reflect on both who we are and who we’re becoming as a nation. I’m incredibly proud of the value we continue to place on music, and on the album as an artform. Congratulations to all of this year’s nominees. We look forward to celebrating their records – the soundtrack and stories of our lives – as we return to Dundee’s Caird Hall for this year’s Ceremony on Thursday 5 November.”
Alan Morrison, Head of Music at Creative Scotland said:
“The 20 works of human brilliance that make up this year’s SAY Award Longlist are an antidote to the negative impacts of generative AI to the music industry. These heartfelt statements of artistic expression in album form will make you cry, sigh, dance and cheer – the full spectrum of emotions that only music can inspire. With attention-grabbing debuts standing shoulder-to-shoulder alongside future classics by favourite bands, it’s clear that 2026 has shaped up to be a special vintage year.”
Thom Watt, Brand Controller, Fettercairn said:
“It’s been an incredible year for Scottish music, reflected by a Longlist for this year’s SAY Award which is as diverse, interesting and exciting as any we’ve seen in the last 15 years. All of the team at Fettercairn are delighted to be supporting such an incredible group of artists and the landmark work they’ve produced this year. We look forward to raising a glass to all of the nominees.”
Barry Can’t Swim:
“I’m really honoured to see Loner nominated for The SAY Award. Very proud to be recognised by the scene back home.”
Brìghde Chaimbeul:
“Sunwise is an album about winter, and about the tunes, stories and Gaelic songs I grew up with. A lot of it comes from old field recordings from the School of Scottish Studies, and my dad and brother are both on it. So being on The SAY Award Longlist, with so much incredible Scottish music, means a great deal.”
Leah McAleer (Heir of the Cursed):
“On 8th November 2018 Beldina texted me and said she was going to make the best album, and then we would tour the world. On 7th December 2021 I promised her that we would spread her songs as wide as words and music can travel. Since then we have worked together to release her album Heir of the Cursed, each of us committed to keeping those promises. It is heartbreaking and heartfilling to have this album on The SAY Award 2026 Longlist. I know wherever Beldina is she is dancing with delight, but her quote is probably unprintable.”
Sian:
“We are absolutely delighted that araon, an album we are so proud of, has been Longlisted for SAY. …this recognition for an album full of Gaelic songs means a huge amount to us. We’re passionate about bringing traditional songs out from the archives to new audiences, helping ensure they continue to be heard in a contemporary light, and we are thrilled that people are enjoying our reimagining of the tradition.”
The Twilight Sad:
“We’re extremely proud of the music that our country produces, it shapes who we are and the music we make so to be included on the Longlist for this year’s SAY Award amongst artists who we love and respect is a great honour. Celebrating music and art from our country is so important as it’s becoming harder and harder for independent artists to break through. Drawing attention to artists that aren’t in the mainstream but are making important art is something The SAY Award has been doing for years now and we both thank them for giving independent music from Scotland a platform. Our new album is about things we all find hard to talk about…grief, loss, mental health, dementia. So thank you for including an album that might not be an easy listen but hopefully helps people understand we are all in this together.”
Valtos:
“The Last Light was us trying to say something honest about home and how it’s changing, so seeing it on The SAY Award Longlist means a lot. The SAY Award has always taken Scottish music seriously, whatever the genre, and it’s an honour to be part of it.”
VLURE:
“Our Scottishness and our immense pride of growing up Glaswegian has always been worn on our sleeves – it sits right at the heart of everything we do. As we have always done, we lent heavily into our Scots vernacular on the record and included Scots Gaelic on there too with the intent of standing behind our upbringings. Escalate is a re-telling of a youth spent partying and grappling with love and loss in the city that has shaped us.”
The Longlist will become a Shortlist of 10 albums in a matter of weeks, with music fans set to ‘Have their SAY’ and vote for which album they would like to see on the top 10 via a 72-hour online public vote. The remaining nine albums will be chosen by The SAY Award judging panel, before judges then choose the winning album, exclusively announced at 2026’s ceremony.
One of the biggest nights in Scotland’s music calendar, The SAY Award Ceremony will return to Dundee’s Caird Hall on Thursday 5th November 2026 to celebrate its 15th year, following a hugely successful inaugural event in the city which saw Kai Reesu take the top prize. Kai Reesu will return to the Caird Hall to perform as part of this year’s Ceremony in front of over 1,500 fans and industry professionals, alongside 2025 Sound of Young Scotland winner Alice Faye, with further special live performances to be announced shortly.
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 and Music Declares Emergency.
For more information on the SAY Award please check the website and follow their instagram.