Vote in the Spirit of Scotland Awards 2014

Singer Paolo Nutini. Picture: Lisa Ferguson/TSPL

For the 17th year Scotsman Publications and family-run Glenfiddich, the world’s most awarded single malt Scotch whisky, have joined forces to give you, our readers, the chance to vote in the Glenfiddich Spirit of Scotland Awards.

This unique award scheme gives you the opportunity to vote for the Scots who excel in their field and are pioneering new developments across Scotland’s rich cultural spectrum. This year you can vote for nominees in the categories of Food, Music, Environment, Screen, Art, Business and Writing. We will also reveal details of this year’s Sport Award. The contenders in each category have been shortlisted by the award’s judging panel but it is over to you to decide the winners.

Receiving a Glenfiddich Spirit of Scotland Award is now one of the country’s most sought-after tributes – made all the more important because the final winners are selected by you, the people of Scotland. Last year, readers cast their votes by the thousand for winners including tennis ace Andy Murray, actress Kate Dickie, and ‘Incredible Spice Man’ and chef, Tony Singh.

Last week the Food and Art categories were featured and this week it is the Music and Writing nominees’ turn. You can also vote for the Top Scot Award, an open category where you can nominate the Scot whom you feel has most excelled in their professional field and furthered Scotland’s reputation for achievement at home and/or abroad.

The consulting panel for the Glenfiddich Spirit of Scotland Awards includes: Ian Stewart (editor of The Scotsman), Jonathan Grant (Glenfiddich), Peter Irvine (Unique Events), Fiona Bradley (Fruitmarket Gallery), Stewart Harris (SportScotland), Leslie Hills (Skyline Productions) and correspondents from The Scotsman newspaper.

To vote in the awards simply complete the entry coupon, or vote online at glenfiddich.com/spiritofscotland

Paolo Nutini

Singer/songwriter

Paisley-born Paolo Nutini took an extended break from recording before releasing his third album Caustic Love earlier this year. It was worth the wait. Nutini’s previous albums, Sunny Side Up (2009) and his debut These Days each sold a staggering 1.5 million copies in the UK alone and Caustic Love is on track to achieve similar success. Described by Q Magazine as “a truly excellent modern soul album”, it illustrates why Nutini is considered by many to be one of Scotland’s important performers.

Twin Atlantic

Band

This has been a year of firsts for Glasgow-based band Twin Atlantic. They secured their first Top 20 single with Heart and Soul, the first offering from new album Great Divide, which then went on to give the band their first UK Top 10 album. Heart and Soul also won Best Independent Track of the Year at the 2014 AIM Awards. The band will close the year touring around the UK, Europe and North America, starting with two nights at Glasgow Barrowland, which sold out in four minutes flat.

Roddy Hart & The Lonesome Fire

Band

Roddy Hart & The Lonesome Fire came of age in 2014 with their critically acclaimed Roaming Roots Revue for Celtic Connections, swiftly followed by a US TV network debut on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, leading to a week-long residency on the show. Their eponymous album earned a long-list nomination for the Scottish Album of the Year Award and performances included the opening party for the Commonwealth Games.

Young Fathers

Band

Young Fathers began 2014 with the release of their album DEAD and tours in the UK and Europe. A huge tour of the US included recordings for the Jimmy Kimmel Live! show and Puff Daddy’s Revolt TV. They won the 2014 Scottish Album of the Year Award and appeared at festivals including Glastonbury and Latitude. When not touring, the band have been recording their new album, due for release next year. Young Fathers have also been nominated for the 2014 Mercury Prize.

Louise Welsh and Jude Barber, the Empire Cafe

Arts project

During this year’s Commonwealth Games, in conjunction with Collective Architecture director Jude Barber, award-winning writer, Louise Welsh ran the Empire Café, a project that brought writing, art and debating together around the theme of Empire and Slavery. The project commissioned Yonder Awa, a book of poetry from Scottish and Caribbean writers, and supported a performance at the Edinburgh International Book Festival of Jackie Kay’s play, The Lamplighters.

Rona Munro

Playwright

Rona Munro has written extensively for stage, radio, film and television. In 2014, her trilogy of Scottish history plays, The James Plays, were produced by the National Theatre of Scotland, the National Theatre of Great Britain and the Edinburgh International Festival, to enormous critical acclaim and are sold out for their entire run in London. Also in 2014, she wrote two episodes of the Stanley Baxter Playhouse for Radio 4, The Showman and Meg’s Tale. Her film credits include the 2010 film Oranges and Sunshine.

AL Kennedy

Author

AL Kennedy is one of the most acclaimed writers of her generation. Her extraordinary collection of short stories, All The Rage, was published this year to wide acclaim. In 2013 she published a selection of non-fiction writing, On Writing. She is also the author of five collections of stories and six novels, including The Blue Book, shortlisted for the Saltire Scottish Book of the Year 2011 and Paradise and Day, also winner of numerous awards. Her non-fiction, On Bullfighting, is already regarded as a modern classic.

Sally Magnusson

Author

Journalist and broadcaster, Sally Magnusson’s 2014 memoir about her mother, Where Memories Go: Why Dementia Changes Everything, has been credited with improving knowledge of this condition, and bringing to decision-makers an understanding of what it is like to live with dementia and care for someone affected. Magnusson has founded Playlist for Life (www.playlistforlife.org.uk), a charity which uses iPod playlists to help those with dementia reconnect with memories and loved ones.

Vote to win a visit to Glenfiddich’s home

Vote in this year’s Awards and you could win a luxury two-night break for two with a VIP visit to The Glenfiddich Distillery in Dufftown.

The winner and their guest will stay at the stunning, multi award-winning Meldrum House Country Hotel and Golf Course. Situated a short drive from Aberdeen in the picturesque village of Old Meldrum, this luxury hotel is one of Scotland’s finest and is renowned for its delicious cuisine and opulent rooms. Also included is a once-in-a-lifetime personalised visit to Glenfiddich’s beautiful distillery, family run since 1887.

A warm welcome awaits the competition winner at Glenfiddich, with the chance to meet some of its craftsmen and enjoy a bespoke tour and a masterclass tasting of some of the brand’s finest malts. Glenfiddich is even including lunch in its Malt Barn restaurant.

PLUS

10 runners-up can raise a glass to mark this year’s awards with a bottle of the award-winning signature Glenfiddich 12 Year Old, the world’s favourite single malt.

More information on the Glenfiddich range and prize conditions can be found at glenfiddich.com/spiritofscotland

All entrants must be over 18.