Twenty Scottish albums have made the Scottish Album of the Year (SAY) Award longlist.
The journalist and broadcaster Nicola Meighan announced the long list at the O2 ABC in Glasgow.
It includes albums from Adam Holmes and The Embers, C Duncan, Ela Orleans, Fatherson, Frightened Rabbit, Honeyblood, The Jesus and Mary Chain, King Creosote, Konx-om-Pax, Meursault, Modern Studies, Mogwai, Pictish Trail, Rachel Newton, RM Hubbert, Sacred Paws, Starless, Teenage Fanclub, TeenCanteen and Vukovi.
The long list was chosen from almost 300 eligible albums.
In turn it will be reduced to a shortlist of ten - one chosen by the public via a 72-hour online vote (on 12-14 June) - and the other nine chosen by an independent panel of judges.
The SAY Award Shortlist will be announced on June 15 as part of a special BBC Radio Scotland Quay Sessions.
The award ceremony itself takes place on June 28 at Paisley Town Hall in support of Paisley’s bid to become UK City of Culture 2021.
The winning artist will receive a £20,000 cash prize.
Ms Meighan said: "Classical and jazz are conspicuous by their absence, but elsewhere the 2017 SAY Award longlist celebrates stylistic diversity and a sense of invention across a year in Scottish music – from Rachel Newton's harp-strung folk to Ela Orleans' poetic avant-pop.
"The longlists have historically been dominated by men and while this is still the case in 2017, the list boasts its strongest female presence to date – including Honeyblood, Sacred Paws, Modern Studies, Teen Canteen and Vukovi."
Previous SAY Award winners are Anna Meredith (2016), Kathryn Joseph (2015), Young Fathers (2014), RM Hubbert (2013) and Bill Wells & Aidan Moffat (2012).
Robert Kilpatrick, Projects and Operations Manager, Scottish Music Industry Association (SMIA), said: “What an incredibly strong, diverse and important list of contemporary Scottish records, all being championed and celebrated through The SAY Award.
"The announcement of The Longlist is one of the most exciting parts of The SAY Award campaign, and is without doubt when the award is at its most potent."
Jean Cameron, Paisley 2021 Bid Director, said: “The SAY Award is a fantastic celebration of Scottish talent and we are pleased Paisley will host the SAY Award ceremony for the second time."
Alan Morrison, head of music, Creative Scotland, said: “This year’s SAY Award ranges from acts who burst onto the scene in the 1980s such as The Jesus And Mary Chain to TeenCanteen, who performed as part of Creative Scotland's showcase at The Great Escape only last week.
"And that’s one of the wonderful things about this prize – emerging artists such as Vukovi, Sacred Paws and Fatherson find themselves standing shoulder to shoulder with Scottish icons such as King Creosote, Mogwai and Teenage Fanclub.
"It proves that there’s legacy in the music we make here, as these albums reach out to different generations of fans but pull everyone together for one big celebration of Scottish talent."
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