Public vote opens in Scottish Album of the Year Award ahead of 2020 shortlist unveiling

Music fans have the chance to pick their favourite release of the last year in the Scottish Album of the Year (SAY) Award public vote.

The likes of Lewis Capaldi, Anna Meredith, The Ninth Wave, Honeyblood and Karine Polwart are among 20 albums on the competition’s longlist.

Whichever album receives the most public votes is guaranteed a place on the shortlist, and a minimum prize of £1,000.

The remaining nine albums on the shortlist will be determined by this year’s judging panel which includes Edith Bowman, Jack Saunders, Wezi Mhura and more.

Fans have until midnight on Wednesday October 7 to get their votes in at sayaward.com.

The final winner will be announced on October 29 in an online event.

Judge Edith Bowman said: “I’m honoured to be part of this year’s SAY Award Judging panel – to be able to enthuse about music as part of my career is something I am very grateful for and I’m looking forward to discovering some of my new favourite albums as part of the judging process.

“Scotland has always had such creativity across music and the arts, and it’s never been more important for us to support and celebrate these artists. The hardest part is going to be to narrow down the list – congrats to all of this year’s Longlist!”

The SAY Award 2020 Longlist, in alphabetical order, is: