Today, BAFTA Scotland announces the six nominees for the BAFTA Scotland Audience Award, in partnership with Screen Scotland.
The public can now vote for their favourite Scot on Screen from the six nominees here. Voting remains open until 4pm on Friday 30 October, and the winner, as voted for by the public, will be announced at the BAFTA Scotland Awards ceremony on Sunday 15 November.
This year’s nominees, selected by an independent jury comprised of Scotland’s media and culture experts, made their mark over the past year as the Scottish talent audiences loved to watch and talk about. The Audience Award is the only category presented at the BAFTA Scotland Awards where the winner is decided by the public.
Nominees for the BAFTA Scotland Audience Award 2026, in partnership with Screen Scotland, are:
- Julie Wilson Nimmo for Balamory
- Katie Leung for Bridgerton
- Leah Byrne for Dept. Q
- Ncuti Gatwa for Doctor Who
- Peter Mullan for I Swear
- Stephen Libby for The Traitors
Eligibility for the BAFTA Scotland Audience Award follows the same dates as the 14 competitive categories in the Awards this year, 2 May 2025 – 29 April 2026. Last year’s winner of the BAFTA Scotland Audience Award was Sheli McCoy, better known as Sabre, for Gladiators. Previous winners of the BAFTA Scotland Audience Award include Lawrence Chaney for RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, Sam Heughan for Outlander, Lauren Lyle for Karen Pirie and Ashley Storrie for Dinosaur.
Jude MacLaverty, Director of BAFTA Scotland, said: “We’re delighted to announce the six nominees for this year’s Audience Award for favourite Scot on Screen in 2026. Supported by Screen Scotland, this is the only award decided entirely by you, the public. This much-loved category is a celebration of Scottish on-screen talent who have sparked conversations and captured our nation’s attention over the past year. Get voting!”
The BAFTA Scotland Awards 2026 will take place on Sunday 15 November at the DoubleTree by Hilton Glasgow Central. Full nominations for the BAFTA Scotland Awards in 14 competitive categories will be released on Thursday 1 October.
Event sponsors and partners have been confirmed as Armani Beauty, Bauer Media, BBC Scotland, bottlegreen, Brooks Macdonald, Casillero del Diablo, Champagne Taittinger, Channel 4, Deloitte, EE, Hotcam, Hildon Mineral Water, Laings, Peugeot, Screen Scotland and STV.
The BAFTA Scotland Awards operate on a not-for-profit basis and tickets for the ceremony are available to apply for at events.bafta.org from Thursday 1 October.
Follow along on our socials @BAFTAScotland / @BAFTA across the Awards weekend and beyond.
Notes to Editors
For all media enquiries regarding the nominations and the ceremony please contact:
Gillian McCormack
E: [email protected]
Colette Baptie
E: [email protected]
Voting is open now via publicvote.bafta.org/scot-on-screen
For press pictures of the nominated individuals visit
https://archive.bafta.org/bafta/scotlandpress using password 2026BAFTAScotAwardsPress
For accreditation, photography, BAFTA logos, press releases and more visit https://www.bafta.org/media-centre/
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About BAFTA
BAFTA’s mission as a charity is to champion the creative and cultural importance of the screen arts across film, games and television. Through its Awards ceremonies and year-round programme of talent initiatives and learning events that include masterclasses, lectures, scholarships, bursaries and mentoring schemes in the UK and North America, BAFTA identifies and celebrates excellence, discovers, inspires and nurtures new screen talent, and enables learning and creative collaboration. For more, visit www.bafta.org. BAFTA is a registered charity (no. 216726).
In Scotland, BAFTA is at the heart of the country’s screen industries. It highlights the breadth and success of the production industry, identifies and supports the next generation of talent, and brings the very best work in Scottish film, games and television to public attention globally. It does so via a comprehensive range of screenings, educational events and masterclasses, where emerging talent are inspired by masterclasses and panels with industry professionals, and, since 1986, the annual BAFTA Scotland Awards, which champion the country’s very best in screen production and talent.
For more, visit www.bafta.org. BAFTA is a registered charity (no. 216726).
About Screen Scotland
Screen Scotland drives development of all aspects of Scotland’s film and TV industry, through funding and strategic support. Screen Scotland is part of Creative Scotland and delivers these services and support with funding from Scottish Government and The National Lottery.
