The Polaris Music Prize Long List will be announced today! In total, 238 albums were considered for the Long List by the 207-member jury this season. I am proud to have been one of those jury members. Since being accepted to the jury in 2017, I have thoroughly enjoyed being part of the process, making musical discoveries, and sharing those discoveries with others. I am eagerly looking forward to the Polaris Music Prize Long List reveal to see how many artists from my Wish List made it through.

Thanks to the Slaight Family Foundation, the Polaris Music Prize awards $50,000 to the
artist who creates the Canadian album of the year, judged solely on artistic merit,
without consideration for genre or record sales. Being nominated or winning a Polaris
Music Prize has shown to boost the overall advancement of an artist’s careers,
significantly increase their audience and following, expand the growth of artist income,
improve access to greater funding and financial opportunities, and expand artists
professional networks and media attention.

Polaris has also unveiled its festival season creative look, working once again with an
independent Canadian visual designer. This year’s shimmering digital landscape was
designed by Toronto-based 3D artist and designer Moshe Petros a.k.a. Droophead and
will be woven across all Polaris web, social and video properties as well as the Polaris
Gala stage.

ALBUM ELIGIBILITY
Albums eligible for 2024 Polaris Music Prize consideration must be released between
April 1, 2023 and May 1, 2024. An independent jury of musical selectors from across
Canada and the adjoining unceded Indigenous lands determines the Long List and
Short List. Eleven people from the larger jury pool are then chosen to serve on the
Grand Jury. This Grand Jury then convenes to select the Polaris Music Prize winner.

POLARIS WINNERS
The past winners are Debby Friday (2023), Pierre Kwenders (2022), Cadence Weapon
(2021), Backxwash (2020), Haviah Mighty (2019), Jeremy Dutcher (2018), Lido Pimienta
(2017), Kaytranada (2016), Buffy Sainte-Marie (2015), Tanya Tagaq (2014), Godspeed
You! Black Emperor (2013), Feist (2012), Arcade Fire (2011), Karkwa (2010), Fucked Up
(2009), Caribou (2008), Patrick Watson (2007) and Final Fantasy / Owen Pallett (2006).

POLARIS MUSIC PRIZE 2024 EVENT SEASON
June 11 – Long List Announcement: The Long List is where Polaris reveals the 40
nominated albums that will be considered for a given year’s Prize.
July 11 – Short List Announcement: Selected from the 40 album Long List, the Short
List is where Polaris reveals the 10 finalist albums that will be considered for a given
year’s Prize.
September 17 – Polaris Gala: Our prestige winner reveal event, the Polaris Gala
features live musical performances from the nominated acts on the Polaris Short List.
The Polaris Prize winner is determined by an 11-member Polaris Grand Jury selected
from the greater Polaris juror pool.
October 2024 – Slaight Family Polaris Heritage Prize: The Heritage Prize is a hall of
fame-minded critics prize/public polling campaign meant to celebrate classic Canadian
albums created before Polaris began in 2006. Like the Polaris Music Prize, winners and
nominees of the Heritage Prize are albums of the highest artistic distinction, without
regard to sales or affiliations.
We acknowledge the financial support of FACTOR, the Government of Canada through
the Department of Canadian Heritage (Canada Music Fund) and of Canada’s Private
Radio Broadcasters.

ABOUT POLARIS MUSIC PRIZE
The Polaris Music Prize is a not-for-profit registered charity organization that annually
honours and rewards artists who produce Canadian music albums of distinction. A
select panel of music critics judge and award the Prize without regard to musical genre
or commercial popularity.