Vote in the Spirit of Scotland Awards

Spirit of Scotland awards lined up at last year's event. Picture: Phil Wilkinson

Scotsman Publications and Glenfiddich are giving you the chance to cast your vote for the people who make you proud to be Scottish. The Glenfiddich Spirit of Scotland Awards® is your opportunity to recognise those who are excelling 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, the Environment, Screen, Art, Business, Writing and Sport. The nominees have been shortlisted by the awards judging panel but it is over to you to decide the final winners.

The Glenfiddich Spirit of Scotland Awards, now in their 16th year, have grown to be regarded as among the country’s top accolades – 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 Scotland’s Olympians, actress Kelly Macdonald, Gaelic songstress Julie Fowlis and businesswoman Lucinda Bruce-Gardyne of Genius Foods.

In the coming weeks, Weekend Life will profile the four shortlisted individuals in each of the awards categories, all keen to receive your votes. You can also vote for the Top Scot award, an open category where you can vote for the Scot whom you feel has most excelled in their professional field and furthered Scotland’s reputation for achievement at home or abroad.

The consulting panel for the Glenfiddich Spirit of Scotland Awards includes: Ian Stewart (Scotsman editor), Sally Gordon (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 on-line at glenfiddich.com/spiritofscotland

To view the full list of nominees for Art and Music, as well as previous nominees for in the Screen, Writing, Environment and Food industries, click here

Voting in this year’s Glenfiddich  Spirit of Scotland Awards will automatically give you the chance to win a luxury two-night break for two including a VIP visit to the Glenfiddich Distillery in Dufftown. The winner and their guest will stay at multi-award-winning Meldrum House country hotel and golf course in scenic Oldmeldrum, renowned for its delicious cuisine and luxurious rooms. They will also be taken on an inspiring Pioneers’ Tour of the Glenfiddich Distillery. This tour combines an in-depth visit with the chance to bottle your own whisky and enjoy a nosing and tasting masterclass of some of Glenfiddich’s finest single malts aged up to 30 years.

The combination of Meldrum House’s sophistication and style and Glenfiddich’s beautiful, historic distillery showcasing whisky-making at its very finest is sure to make for a most memorable visit.

PLUS

10 runners-up can raise a glass to mark this year’s awards with a bottle of award-winning 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/uk

All entrants must be over 18.

Votes should be posted to: Glenfiddich Spirit of Scotland Awards,  The Glenfiddich Distillery, Dufftown, Banffshire AB55 4DH. Closing date for all voting is 7 November 2013.