2026 Scotland's Beach Award winners announced

On the back of a week of beautiful sunny weather environmental charity Keep Scotland Beautiful has announced more than 50 beaches have scooped a Scotland's Beach Award and will be flying the prestigious flag this summer.   

Scotland’s Beach Awards celebrates the achievements of well managed beaches across Scotland meaning that visitors and locals can chose where they want to visit with the knowledge that the beach is being looked after for people, nature and the environment.

A total of 52 beaches have received the award this year, from Shetland to South Ayrshire.  

Aberdeen Ballroom Beach has successfully achieved award status for the 20th year, along with Aberdeenshire’s Stonehaven and Inverboyndie and Coldingham Beach in the Scottish Borders, while Lunan Bay in Angus has reached its 10th year as an award-winning beach. 

Five beaches have retained their status for more than three decades, while 43 beaches on the list have successfully achieved an award for 10 or more years. 

Fife retains its title as the region with the most awards, boasting 13 winning beaches. Aberdeenshire and follows with eight beaches receiving the award while there are seven award-winning beaches in East Lothian.  

A full regional list and breakdown of award winners can be found in the table attached. 

Barry Fisher, CEO at Keep Scotland Beautiful, said: “Scotland's Beach Awards are the benchmark for quality, celebrating clean, well-managed and sustainable beaches. Our award-winning beaches are all beautiful but seeing that flag flying means visitors can be assured that they are being looked after for people and nature. 

“It is amazing to see the consistency of standards and continuation of award status matters to those who apply year after year, and I’d like to thank all those, in councils and communities, who do so much to protect, maintain and enhance our beaches, protecting the sand and sea for us all to enjoy. 

“Our Beach Managers network meets twice a year and gathered online and in person on 28 May to prepare for the season ahead.  With speakers from Scottish Government, SEPA, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and more it is inspiring to hear how everyone works together to overcome challenges and make our award winning beaches the best they can be.  We’re always looking for new beaches to join the award network, so if you think yours meets the standards, please do get in touch with us for support.” 

In order to achieve Scotland’s Beach Awards, a range of criteria must be met, including beach safety, access and facilities, and cleanliness. Focusing on local environmental quality, the award is designed to complement the work undertaken by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency on bathing water quality. The full criteria can be accessed here. 

A map showing all the award-winning beaches with directions, facilities and images can be found at www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org/beach