An award to recognise the use, celebration and promotion of Scots is launched today by the Scots Language Centre. 

The Scots Toun award will be made to two communities which can demonstrate support for the language in day to day life. 

Two prizes of 6000 and 4000 will be given to those communities best able to demonstrate existing Scots language use, along with plans or project ideas which aim to increase Scots language use in the whole community.

Welcoming the establishment of the new award, Scots Language Centre Director, Michael Hance, said, 'The results of the census last year showed that around 1.5 million people speak Scots. This award is designed to recognise those communities where Scots is valued and encouraged. 

We hope to hear about initiatives and projects that have been developed to support the language and are looking forward to hearing from communities large and small which take pride in their linguistic identity.'  Scots Toun