Polaris Music Prize 2016 Key Dates Announced

A view of The Carlu at the 2013 Polaris Gala. Photo by Dustin Rabin.

The key dates for the 2016 Polaris Music Prize have been revealed

The 40 album Long List will be announced June 15 at a location to be announced.

The 10 album Short List will be unveiled July 14 at The Carlu in Toronto. This year’s Polaris Gala will be held Monday, September 19 at the The Carlu for the fourth year in row.

The eligibility period for the 2016 Polaris Music Prize is June 1, 2015 to May 31, 2016. An independent jury of music journalists, broadcasters and music bloggers from across Canada determines the Long List and Short List. Eleven people are selected from the larger jury pool to serve on the Grand Jury. The grand jury convenes the night of the Gala to select the Polaris Music Prize winner.

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, the prize’s past winners have included 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 2016 Key Dates:

June 15 – Long List announcement – TBD
July 14 – Short List announcement – The Carlu, Toronto, ON
September 19  – Polaris Music Prize Gala – The Carlu, Toronto, ON