The Design Commission opened to expressions of interest earlier this month as it was announced that Stirling’s Albert Halls would be the host venue of The SAY Award Ceremony – the most exciting night in Scotland’s musical calendar – for the third consecutive year.
The SAY Award Design Commission selects an artist or designer to create bespoke prizes for the winning artists at The SAY Award Ceremony to highlight the enduring links between music, art and design in Scotland, a video about the winning designer is also shown on the night as part of the Ceremony.
A fee of £2,500 will be provided for the design and manufacture of the awards. In addition, the artist or designer who secures the commission will receive a month-long exhibition at The Tolbooth Gallery in February 2025.
Expressions of interest are open to all artists and designers from the Stirling Council area as part of The SAY Award’s partnership with Stirling.
ART FUTURO were the recipients of The SAY Award Design Commission when the award was first held in Stirling in 2022. They created a trophy from natural slate veneer that also functioned as a high-end Bluetooth speaker.
'Put your work in the national spotlight'
Phil and Franziska from ART FUTURO said: “It was a huge privilege to be awarded The SAY Award Design Commission in 2022.
“The process gave us an incredible opportunity to be involved with a high-profile event and gave us additional insight into the music business as another creative industry. As creatives, it is always great to get inspired by other types of creativity that may well stimulate new ideas and concepts for your own work.
“The SAY Award Design Commission offers a chance for the creative community in Stirling to open doors that may have otherwise been closed to them. We’d definitely encourage anyone who is interested to get involved and to put their work in the national spotlight.”
The commissioned artist or designer will be tasked with designing an award with sustainability at its forefront. These will be handed out on the night to Scotland’s most outstanding musical talent including nine awards for 2024’s Shortlist and a bespoke award for The SAY Award winner. The artist will also create prizes for the Modern Scottish Classic Award and Sound of Young Scotland Award.
The deadline for expressions of interest for this unique creative design commission to be submitted has been extended and remains open until midnight Monday 5 August. To enter, please visit: www.sayaward.com/designcommission
'Unique creative opportunity'
Stirling Council Leader, Cllr Chris Kane said: “Stirling is bursting with creative talent, as has been demonstrated by the quality of work produced for The SAY Award Design Commission over the last two years.
“This unique creative opportunity for artists, crafters and designers presents a chance to have your work showcased to a national audience as part of one of the highlights in Scotland’s music calendar.
“I’m beyond thrilled that Stirling is hosting The SAY Award Ceremony for the third successive year in what is our 900th anniversary where we are both celebrating Stirling’s history and looking forward to the future.”
Artists, labels and music fans can submit eligible albums, for free, at www.sayaward.com until 31 July
Early bird tickets for The SAY Award ceremony at Stirling’s Albert Halls on Thursday 24 October are now also available via: www.sayaward.com