The Scottish Music Awards (Scottish Gaelic : Duaisean Ciùil na h-Alba ) are an annual award ceremony held in Scotland to commemorate outstanding musical contribution by musicians over the past year to Scottish music and success on the Scottish Singles and Albums Charts . As of 2020, the awards have been held annually for 22 years.[ 1] The Scottish Music Awards celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2023. [ 2]
The 2020 ceremony was held on 28 November, dubbed as a "St. Andrew's Day celebration". Performances included Lewis Capaldi , Biffy Clyro , Texas , Amy Macdonald , Wet Wet Wet , Dougie MacLean , GUN, Stephanie Cheape, HYYTS, kitti, Luke La Volpe, George Bowie and Graeme Park.[ 3]
Over the course of the awards tenure, the awards have honoured some of the Scotland's biggest international musicians, including Annie Lennox and Susan Boyle , whilst celebrating Scotland’s best up and coming musical artists, through breakthrough awards awarded to musicians Be Charlotte, Tom Walker and Lewis Capaldi .
The award ceremonies aim to raise funds for the UK’s largest independent music therapy charity, Nordoff Robbins.[ 4]
The Scottish Music Awards celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2023. [ 5]
The 26th Scottish Music Awards ceremony were held on 2 November 2024, again being held at the Barrowland Ballroom in Glasgow, and hosted by Edith Bowman. The following were recipients of awards during the 2024 ceremony of the awards:[ 6]
Performances from the ceremony included Twin Atlantic , Nina Nesbitt , and Gun .[ 6]
Berkeley 2 Studios – Guitar Guitar Music Industry Award
Beluga Lagoon – Barrowland Spotlight Award
Blair Ferguson – Blur69 Sound of Scotland
Calum Bowie – Beavertown’s Breakthrough Award
Country 2 Country – Ticketmaster’s Tourmaster Award
Eddi Reader – Special Recognition Award Sponsored by Specsavers
Gun – Pizza Express Album of the Year
Hannah Laing – Go Radio Breakthrough Award
Harri and Domenic – Ballantines and Subclub Electronic Music Award
Kyle Falconer – King Tuts’ Song Writing Award
Lulu – Scottish Icon Award sponsored by Rox
Nina Nesbitt – SWG3 Independent Icon Award
Phil Bowdery – OVO Hydro Promoter of the Year Award
Soup Dragons – Raymond Weil Lifetime Achievement Award
Travis – Outstanding Achievement Award sponsored by the Sir Reo Stakis Foundation
Twin Atlantic – Disruptor Award sponsored by Hard Rock Cafe Edinburgh
Previous ceremonies [ edit ]
The 2023 ceremony was hosted on November 4, 2023, once again by Edith Bowman . The event will again return to the Barrowland Ballroom in Glasgow for the third consecutive time since 2021.[ 7]
The following artists were recipients of awards in 2023.
The 2022 Awards were held at Barrowland Ballroom in Glasgow on 5 November 2022. The ceremony was once again hosted by Edith Bowman .[ 9]
Performances included The View , Tamzene, Rianne Downey, Dylan John Thomas, Altered Images and Rod Stewart .[ 10]
2022 Winners include:[ 11]
Clare Grogan (Altered Images ) – Winner of the Sir Reo Stakis Foundation Living Legend Award
Craig Logan – Winner of the Go Radio Music Industry Award
Dylan John Thomas – Winner of the Dean Banks & Mond Vodka Breakthrough Artist Award
Ewan McVicar – Winner of the Ballantine’s / Sub Club Electronic Music Award
Gerry Cinnamon – Winner of the King Tut’s Songwriting Award
Gun – Winner of the Hard Rock Cafe Rock Legend Award
Lewis Capaldi – Winner of the Raymond Weil Global Artist of the Year Award
Paolo Nutini – Winner of the Guitar Guitar’s Best Album Award AND Ticketmaster’s Best Live Act Award
Peat & Diesel – Winner of the Royal Highland Centre Sound of Scotland Award
Rianne Downey – Winner of the Tennent’s Light Breakthrough Award
Rod Stewart – Winner of the Specsavers Outstanding Achievement in Music Award
Tamzene – Winner of the VEGA Rising Star Award
The View – Winner of the Rox ‘Diamonds & Thrills’ Special Recognition Award
Wet Leg – Winner of the SWG3’s Best UK Artist Award
The event was held on Saturday 13 November 2021 in Barrowland Ballroom in Glasgow, marking the first time in the events history that it has been held at the venue. The event was once again hosted by Edith Bowman, and marked the live return for the event following the virtual ceremony that took place in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic in Scotland .[ 12]
The winners in the following categories are listed below:[ 13]
Performances were part of the event and featured performances from artists including:
The Bluebells
Brooke Combe
The Fratellis
Nathan Evans
Nina Nesbitt
The 2020 ceremony was hosted by Edith Bowman in the west end of Glasgow. The event was held virtually due to COVID-19 restrictions.[ 1] [ 14]
The following artists received awards during the 2020 ceremony.
Ambassadors of Rock Award sponsored by Hard Rock Cafe – Gun
Best Album Award sponsored by Guitar Guitar - Biffy Clyro
Best Breakthrough Award sponsored by Notion Magazine - Luke La Volpe (Male) and kitti (Female)
Best Pop Act Award sponsored by Bose – HYYTS
Best UK Award sponsored by SSE – Lewis Capaldi
Icons Award sponsored by Raymond Weil – Texas
Innovation Award sponsored by SSE - Graeme Park - Hacienda Classics
Nordoff Robbins Legend Award - George Bowie
Outstanding Contribution Award sponsored by Specsavers - Wet Wet Wet
Special Recognition Award sponsored by Sir Reo Stakis
Foundation – Dougie MacLean
Women in Music Award sponsored by Rox - Amy Macdonald
The 2019 nominations for the award ceremony were:[ 15]
The nominations for the 2018 ceremony were:[ 16]
Susan Boyle : Scottish Music Hall of Fame Award sponsored by The Royal Highland Centre
Éclair Fifi: Electronic Music Award sponsored by Sub Club
Kyle Falconer : Best Album Award sponsored by Hard Rock Cafe
SWG3: Evolution Award sponsored by The Sunday Mail
The Snuts: Breakthrough Artist Award sponsored by Rekorderlig
Annie Lennox : Scottish Music Hall of Fame Award sponsored by The Royal Highland Centre
Snow Patrol : Artist of the Year Award sponsored by SSE
Mark Knopfler: Living Legend Award sponsored by Raymond Weil
World Pipe Band Championships: Glasgow UNESCO City of Music, Best Live Event Award
Kevin Bridges : Ticketmaster Tourmaster Award
Gary Clark: Music Business Award sponsored by The Sir Reo Stakis Foundation
Frightened Rabbit : The King Tut's Wah Wah Hut Songwriting Award
The Script : Best International Artist Award sponsored by Specsavers
Tom Grennan: Best UK Artist Award sponsored by ROX – Diamonds and Thrills
The winners of the 2017 ceremony were:[ 17]
‘Song Writing Award’ Sponsored by King Tut's Wah Wah Hut – Emeli Sandé
‘Best Rock Band Award’ Sponsored by Hard Rock Heals - The Temperance Movement
‘Electronic Music Award’ Sponsored by Sub Club - Denis Sulta
‘Exceptional Contribution’ Sponsored by Sub Club – SLAM
'Best Breakthrough Artist Award’ Sponsored by Jack Daniel's - Lewis Capaldi
Scottish Music Hall of Fame Award’ Sponsored by The Royal Highland Centre - Ian Stewart
‘Music Ambassador Award’ Sponsored by Sir Reo Stakis Foundation - Horse McDonald
Unesco City of Music Best Live Event Award – Regular Summer of Nights
Ticketmaster Tourmaster Award - Texas
‘Evolution Award’ Sponsored by Coors Light - Nina Nesbitt
‘Music Business Award’ Sponsored by Sunday Mail - Glasgow Jazz Festival
‘Best UK Newcomer’ Sponsored by Hampden Cars - Tom Walker
‘Best International Artist Award’ Sponsored by Chisholm Hunter - Alice Cooper
‘Outstanding Contribution to Music’ Sponsored by SSE - The Waterboys
The winners of the 2013 ceremony were:[ 18]
New Boss Award sponsored by DWF Biggart Baillie – Rose Moon
Special Recognition Award sponsored by People Make Glasgow – Admiral Fallow
Songwriting Award sponsored by King Tuts – Camera Obscura
Best Breakthrough Act sponsored by goNorth – Twin Atlantic
Best Emerging Artist sponsored by Braehead Arena – Nina Nesbitt
Living Legend Award sponsored by Sunday Mail – John McLaughlin
Best Live Act sponsored by Ticketmaster – Mogwai
Fans Choice Award sponsored by Nordoff- Robbins Music Therapy in Scotland – Susan Boyle
Innovation Award sponsored by Sir Reo Stakis Foundation – Shirley Manson
The winners of the 2011 ceremony were:[ 19]
‘Nordoff-Robbins Special Recognition Award supported by Glasgow City Council’
Karen Mathieson,
Creative Scotland Big Apple Award’
Song of Return
Guitar Guitar Musical Instrument Award’
Jim Dunlop, Dunlop Manufacturing Inc
Silverburn Most Stylish New Artist Award’ Kassidy
goNORTH Emerging Business Award’
CK Events
Sir Reo Stakis Foundation Legend Award’
The Rezillos
Sunday Mail Industry Award’
Richard Park, Executive Director of Global Radio
King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut Best Live Band Award’ Frightened Rabbit
Capital FM Breakthrough Artist Award’
Emeli Sandé
Ticketmaster UK Pride of Scotland Award’ Big Country
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