2024 Polaris Music Prize Event Season Announced
The Polaris Music Prize, presented by CBC Music, has revealed its key 2024 event season details, including nominee reveal dates, the season creative direction, and the Polaris Gala’s return to Massey Hall with tickets now on sale.
The 2024 Polaris Event Season will kick-off with the Prize’s 40 album Long List reveal on June 11 for a come one, come all live announcement at Toronto’s marquee music retailer, Sonic Boom. The much anticipated 10 album Short List will be unveiled on July 11 along with the Polaris Gala performance lineup. This year’s Polaris Gala and winning album reveal event will be returning to Toronto’s revered Massey Hall on September 17.
This marks the second consecutive year the Polaris Gala will be hosted at the legendary 130-year-old Massey Hall. The Polaris team is promising to once again make dynamic use of the performing arts theatre’s spaces, all with a focus on celebrating art, community and exceptional music making.
Tickets to this year’s Polaris Gala are on sale now via the Massey Hall website. All of this year’s Short List nominees will be invited to perform at the Polaris Gala and the final lineup will be revealed in July. As a special incentive for dedicated music lovers, Polaris is offering 15% off all tickets purchased before March 28, using the promo code POLARIS15.
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.
The event season will come to a close with the announcement of two new Slaight Family Polaris Heritage Prize-winning albums in October. 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.
Polaris will also continue to produce a number of complimentary activities, including our annual Polaris Poster exhibition and the Polaris Partnership Program, a community-based initiative where we team up with like-minded not-for-profit and charitable groups, businesses and affiliated events to support Canada’s arts and culture community.
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.
