Scottish Alternative Music Awards 2020 announce November virtual ceremony plans

Scottish Alternative Music Awards 2020 announce November virtual ceremony plans

Scottish Alternative Music Awards (SAMA), the annual celebration of the best in new and emerging Scottish music, announces its winners next month via a virtual ceremony.

The Awards now in their 11th year, will be streamed worldwide for free, and feature live sets from two Scottish acts.

The seven categories are Best Rock/Alternative, Best Live Act, Best Newcomer, Best Hip Hop, Best Metal, Best Electronic, Best Acoustic.

Artists should be aged 16 or over, with at least one member based in Scotland and have released music between Sept 2019 and Sept 2020. Best Live Act this year due to COVID-19 is judged on the hosting of innovative, high quality live streams.

Lewis Capaldi, Gerry Cinnamon, The Snuts and Zoe Graham are all previous SAMA winners.

21 nominators from across the music industry and including artists draw up a shortlist for each category, which will be thrown open to the public vote over three days, with the winners revealed live at the virtual ceremony on Wednesday 18 November.

Run in partnership with Creative Scotland, Drygate Brewing, Help Musicians, Musicians Union and more, the SAMA are a chance for the Scottish music community – both industry professionals and music fans – to come together for a night of festivities, and this year will be no different.

In addition to the announcement of the 2020 awards, the SAMA are pleased to be one of the 25 new UK signatories of the Keychange Pledge, confirming their commitment to 50/50 gender equality across all aspects of their work.

SAMA website is here

Zoe Graham 2019 win photography by Neil McKenzie

God is in the TV is an online music and culture fanzine founded in Cardiff by the editor Bill Cummings in 2003. GIITTV Bill has developed the site with the aid of a team of sub-editors and writers from across Britain, covering a wide range of music from unsigned and independent artists to major releases.