Spotlight on Events in Scottish Thistle Awards National Final

With the Scottish Thistle Awards Regional Finals now complete, we wanted to take a look at all the winners in the Outstanding Cultural Event or Festival category who have progressed to the National Final, taking place at the Hilton Glasgow on Friday 1 December.

First up, Fringe by the Sea 2022 in North Berwick took the regional trophy for Central and East (21 September). The event was praised by judges for its impressive year-on-year growth and for demonstrating excellent engagement with the local area and its people.?

Accepting the award, General Manager Jackie Shuttleworth said, “Fringe by the Sea is a huge team effort with fantastic crew and volunteers so this award is really a big thanks to everyone involved. Community is at the heart of the festival and we think that's what really delivers the magic.”?

Further north in the Granite City, Spectra triumphed in Aberdeen City and Shire (22 September). This was the eleventh annual tourism awards ceremony for the region, taking place in 2023 in The Chester Hotel and organised by the Aberdeen City and Shire Tourism Awards team.?

Back in the central belt, Dandelion Festival took the award for the West of Scotland (28 September). The festival was a flagship event in the wider Dandelion programme that saw more than 589,000 people take part in creative events, installations, gardens, growing, and learning programmes during the course of the year. The free and inclusive event was praised by judges for supporting the creative and cultural sector as it recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic.?

The Dandelion Festival team expressed their gratitude on winning the prestigious award: “We are thrilled to accept this award for our glorious Dandelion festival in Kelvingrove Park last Summer. The Dandelion project inspired thousands of people throughout 2022 to make positive, active change by celebrating food, growing, music, science and ideas. The Glasgow festival was a brilliant demonstration of exactly that, and the incredible hard work of our entire team. Thank you!”?

Borders Book Festival was next, with the event crowned in the South (5 October). A highlight in the events calendar for the region, literature is the obvious focus but the programme contains a wide range of live music, comedy, and food and drink, as well as family focused activities.?

Paula Ogilvie, Borders Book Festival Director, said: “Borders Book Festival is delighted to have won this prestigious award. We really value such a positive endorsement of our work and our enhanced programme in 2022, celebrating Scotland’s Year of Stories. None of it would have been possible without the support of our community, our volunteers, and our small and very passionate team.”?

In the last of the regional finals, the Hebridean Celtic Festival, also known as HebCelt, was announced as the winner of the Highland’s and Islands (10 November). This Stornoway-based event is a must in Celtic and folk music circles in Scotland and beyond.?

Joining them at the final will be the finalists in the National-only categories. It’s a showdown between tennis, golf and motorsports as Battle of the Brits, Genesis Scottish Open and Mull Rally face off for the Outstanding Sporting Event trophy. ?

Meanwhile, the Best Business Event title is between the 30th BRAIN & BRAIN PET Conference at the Scottish Event Campus; The 22nd World Congress of Soil Science, also at the Scottish Event Campus, and; World Energy Council Executive Assembly & Energy Trilemma Summit at the P&J Live.

Congratulations to all the regional winners and best of luck to them and those nominated in the National-only categories in the National Final in Glasgow on Friday 1 December. We’ll see you all there!?

Visit the Scottish Thistle Awards website for more information on all of the regional awards and the National Final.??