SAMA nominations announced plus virtual ceremony featuring Nova and Walt Disco

The 2020 edition of the awards will take place virtually on Wednesday 18th November. Register here.

The Scottish Alternative Music Awards (SAMA) is an annual celebration of the best in new Scottish music, placing a spotlight on phenomenal bands and artists across genres. Marking the 11th anniversary of the awards, this year’s live ceremony will take place online at 6.30pm on Wednesday 18 November via a new partnership with leading live streaming platform Twitch.

The ceremony will include live performances from Glasgow quintet Walt Disco, who are known for their eccentric style and 80s new wave and post-punk sound, and Edinburgh DJ, rapper, producer and 2019 SAMA nominee Nova, whose debut solo album Re-Up has won the 2020 Scottish Album of the Year Award. Radio presenter and DJ Jim Gellatly will be on hosting duties alongside spoken word artist and theatre maker Leyla Josephine.

Walt Disco by Ally Scott

Nova by Zaynab McGroarty

Jamie Houston, Music Officer, Creative Scotland comments “The number of bands and artists to emerge from Scotland every year never fails to astonish. Behind the curtain of the mainstream is a world of talent which demands widespread attention. Thanks to National Lottery players, Creative Scotland is once again able to support the SAMAs to celebrate voices and talent from Scotland's burgeoning hip-hop, grime and metal scenes, as well as electronic, indie and pop.”
Suzanne Miller, Help Musicians Scotland Manager, said: "Help Musicians Scotland is so pleased to be supporting the Best Hip Hop Award at the Scottish Alternative Music Awards in this extraordinary year. We know how uniquely difficult 2020 has been for musicians; with so many still unable to perform it has been, and continues to be, both emotionally and financially challenging. That's why this year's SAMAs are perhaps more important than ever before, offering us all a moment to reflect on the incredible power of music, in all its various genres, that has kept us going and lifted our spirits exactly when we've needed it. Congratulations to all of the brilliant musicians nominated this year."

A three day public vote will open on Monday 9 November on officialsama.com, with the winners announced live online on Wednesday 18 November.

Tickets for the virtual ceremony are available via Eventbrite and include an option to donate to leading music charity Help Musicians Scotland, with funds to be invested back into supporting Scottish musicians.Run in partnership with Creative Scotland, Drygate Brewing, Help Musicians, Musicians’ Union and more, the SAMAs are set to provide a great night of music celebration, which can be enjoyed by fans and industry professionals from anywhere in the world.

Registrations to join the virtual music award ceremony are now open on the link below:

The 2020 SAMA nominations are: