An airline is on the hunt for anyone with a Scottish accent to feature in a new advert - and nab free plane tickets in the process.
Scots with an authentic accent could soon be featuring in an Dutch airline KLM's radio campaign, as well as winning free tickets to destinations across the world.
One lucky Scot is needed to be a part of its 'Fly it Home' advert with their voice broadcast to stations across the UK.
Not only will they get the chance to hear their own voice on national radio, but they'll also win a pair of return flights to any KLM destination in the world with a stopover in Amsterdam.
The airline is also looking out for two other Brits to feature in the ad - one with a Welsh accent and one from the North East of England.
If you think you have the voice to represent Scotland, you can enter the competition here - there are also six runner-up prizes up for grabs.
All you need to do is record the pre-written script within 30 seconds and upload the voice note, along with your personal details.
New research conducted by KLM has found that over a quarter of people in the UK say they've changed their accent at some point.
Almost half of participants say that their accent is important when it comes to relating to their culture and background, with 54% saying it gives them pride about where they're from.
We Scots are among the least likely to change our accents at 70%, along with Scousers at 79%.
But on the other hand, those who come from Essex are he most likely to temper their accent in order to "avoid embarrassment".
The research was conducted to shine a spotlight on smaller regional communities and has been bought to life through KLM's ‘Fly It Home’ campaign and competition.
Dominic Watt, visiting professor of English Linguistics at the University of Vechta, has joined the campaign to shed light on the impact of local pronunciations, words and grammar on culture and identity.
He said: “The accent landscape in the UK is enormously rich for a relatively small geographical area, and research indicates that new variations of regional accents are continuing to emerge.”
“For too long, British people have been told that their regional accents are an obstacle to communication or to success in their working or personal lives, rather than something they can celebrate. The research shows, however, that people don't feel proud of their accents if they don't hear them represented in the media and pop culture. 20% of people from the West Country or Birmingham can’t think of a celebrity that sounds like them, reinforcing the idea that there's something wrong with the way they speak.”
Dominic added: “Despite predictions of a decline, regional accents are still in pretty good health. They will continue to evolve and expand, in keeping with the rich and dynamic sense of identity that helps to preserve the UK's exciting cultural heritage. KLM's campaign is a timely reminder of how much we have to celebrate about the language varieties spoken across the UK.”
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