SCOTLAND'S answer to the Mercury Prize is to move from its previous Edinburgh home to Stirling.

The organisers of the Scottish Album of the Year (SAY) Award, have confirmed that Stirling is the host city for its 2022 ceremony.

It has previously had three outings in Edinburgh.

Produced by the Scottish Music Industry Association (SMIA) and taking place at Stirling’s Albert Halls on Thursday 20th October, The SAY Award will welcome artists, industry professionals, press and music fans to the city.

The ceremony will mark the culmination of a four-month campaign celebrating Scottish music and the cultural impact of outstanding Scottish albums, with The SAY Award winner receiving a £20,000 first prize and walking away with the coveted title of Scottish Album of the Year.

To unveil Stirling as the new location for The SAY Award ceremony, a projection was displayed onto one of the city’s most renowned landmarks, The National Wallace Monument.

The location of The SAY Award Ceremony was unveiled with the lyrics of the iconic Scottish ballad ‘Caledonia’ by singer-songwriter Dougie MacLean, who lived nearby in Dunblane for a period of time as a child and still feels a close connection with Stirling.

Featuring the famous chorus “Let me tell you that I love you. That I think about you all the time”, the projection was displayed on the Monument overlooking the city and was visible for miles.

The Herald:

Built in the Victorian era and located in the centre of the city, the Albert Halls venue has hosted a variety of shows since opening over 100 years ago.

Following The SAY Award’s landmark 10th birthday celebration last year, music fans will once again have the chance to attend the ceremony when it makes its Stirling debut.

Robert Kilpatrick, creative director of the Scottish Music Industry Association (SMIA) and The SAY Award, said: “Following three fantastic years in Edinburgh, we’re delighted to announce an exciting new partnership with Stirling as we get set to host our 2022 ceremony in the much-loved Albert Halls.

!Across our four-month campaign, we will work with Stirling and our SAY Award partners to celebrate the strength and diversity of Scotland’s musical landscape, culminating in the most exciting night in Scotland’s musical calendar.

"As we now enter a post-pandemic landscape, a sharp focus on cultural recovery and growth is required.

"The SAY Award will work to bring a renewed sense of community, foster civic pride and drive national wellbeing through a strategic and authentic focus on recognising both the power and value of music in Scotland.”

The Herald:

Artists, music fans and labels can look forward to eligible album submissions for The SAY Award 2022 opening on July 1.

From classical, electronic, hip-hop, jazz, pop, rock and trad, the SAY Award album submissions aim to reflect the ever-changing and diversified Scottish music scene, demonstrating the strength and cultural impact of the country’s musical output.

Once all eligible albums have been collated, 100 impartial nominators, chosen from sectors including journalism, music retail and music venues across Scotland, nominate and rank their five favourite albums in order of preference.

The SMIA assigns a score to each title in a nominator’s Top 5, before announcing the 20 highest scoring albums as The SAY Award Longlist.

The Longlist will then be whittled down to a shortlist of 10 albums, one of which will be chosen by music fans via a 72-hour online public vote. The remaining nine albums will be chosen by The SAY Award judging panel, who will then reconvene at the ceremony to decide on 2022’s winner.

This year will also see the return of the Modern Scottish Classic Award and The Sound of Young Scotland Award, both of which were introduced last year.

Gerry McGarvey, convener of Stirling Council’s community planning and regeneration committee, said: “Hosting the Scottish Album of the Year Award is absolutely fantastic news for Stirling and reaffirms the area’s reputation as a top events location."

Now in its eleventh year, previous winners of The SAY Award include Mogwai's As The Love Continues(2021), Nova's Re-Up (2020), Auntie Flo's Radio Highlife (2019) and Young Fathers' Cocoa Sugar (2018).