Hands up for Trad and their panel of industry judges are once again on the lookout for the very best in the traditional music for this year’s MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards.  Since 2003, Hands up for Trad have been celebrating the best in Scottish traditional music from across the country and are proud to announce that in a new partnership for 2008, this year’s awards ceremony will be broadcast by BBC ALBA, the new Gaelic television channel.

Nominations are open from 1st October - 17th October. The nomination categories are:

• Album of the Year sponsored by Birnam CD
• Club of the Year sponsored by Living Tradition Magazine
• Community Project of the Year sponsored by BBC Radio Shetland
• Composer of the Year sponsored by Distil
• Event of the Year sponsored by VisitScotland
• Gaelic Singer of the Year sponsored by Macmeanmna
• Services to Industry Award sponsored by Scottish Arts Council
• Instrumentalist of the Year sponsored by Temple Records
• Live Act of the Year sponsored by Greentrax Recordings
• Citty Finlayson Scots Singer of the Year sponsored by Traditional Music and Song Association
• Scottish Dance Band of the Year sponsored by National Association of Accordion and Fiddle Clubs
• Scottish Folk Band of the Year sponsored by Foot Stompin' Scottish Music
• Scottish Pipe Band of the Year sponsored by The National Piping Centre
• Up and Coming Artist of the Year sponsored by Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama
• Venue of the Year Award
• Strathspey and Reel Society of the Year sponsored by Royal Scottish Country Dance Society

You can nominate by filling in the online nominating form. Alternatively download the document as a pdf or Microsoft Word file. All nominations will be taken to a nominations panel who will decide who goes through to the voting stage. The panels decision is final.

Once the nominations period is closed a shortlist of 4 for each category is decided and will be open for public vote from 3rd November - 21st November.

The awards ceremony itself is on 6 December 2008 and will be televised on the new digital channel BBC Alba on 20 December 2008.

Last year Aberdeen Strathspey & Reel Society made it to the final 4 shortlist, although we didn't win the Strathspey & Reel Society of the year award - that honour went to Fochabers Fiddlers.

For more information see the Hands up for trad website