2024 Polaris Short List Posters Revealed Along With Commissions For Heritage Prize Winners Skinny Puppy, Maestro Fresh Wes
The Polaris Music Prize, presented by CBC Music, has unveiled the 12 newest additions to its signature Polaris Poster series.
Each year 10 Canadian visual artists are commissioned to create a unique art piece inspired by a nominated album on the Polaris Music Prize Short List. These vivid graphic interpretations of the nominees’ music are then developed into limited edition, silk-screened prints. This year’s Short List poster creators are:
Gymiah Gariba for BAMBII’s INFINITY CLUB
Franziska Barczyk for The Beaches’ Blame My Ex
Mathieu Dionne for Charlotte Cardin’s 99 Nights
BJ Golez for DijahSB’s The Flower That Knew
Dylan Glynn for Jeremy Dutcher’s Motewolonuwok
Natashia Allakariallak for Elisapie’s Inuktitut
Material Group for Cindy Lee’s Diamond Jubilee
Heidi Berton for NOBRO’s Set Your Pussy Free
Yazmin Monet Butcher for Allison Russell’s The Returner
Segun Caezar for TOBi’s Panic
Additionally, Polaris has also commissioned two new works to honour its recent Slaight Family Polaris Heritage Prize hall of fame recipients — Maestro Fresh Wes’ Symphony In Effect by Elham Numan and Skinny Puppy’s Bites by Alan Derksen. This year’s works and the entire Polaris Poster archive can be found here.
Polaris has commissioned over 220 original artworks as part of its poster program since the organization began in 2006. These unique gig poster-inspired gifts are presented to each of the 10 acts on a given year’s Short List as well as each year’s Heritage Prize honourees. Several of these works have gone on to win prizes of their own from the likes of the Society of Illustrators and Communication Arts Annual. Select pieces have been exhibited at the National Arts Centre, the Canada Council, the London Museum and were featured in Heritage Toronto’s Sounds Like Toronto digital music history project. Polaris prints are prominently displayed in the offices of leading cultural and music institutions, and posters representing Haviah Mighty and Backxwash (2019 and 2020 Polaris Prize winners, respectively) have been turned into giant murals available in downtown Toronto.
Ten copies of each new poster are currently available for pre-sale purchase via the Polaris online store (expected shipping date Sept. 20, 2024). These limited edition prints will retail for $60 apiece. Proceeds from the poster sale will go towards visual artist fees and fulfilling Polaris’ charitable purpose of supporting exceptional Canadian musicians.
The first place to actually physically purchase these works of art will be at the 2024 Polaris Music Prize Gala, taking place September 17, 2024 at Massey Hall in Toronto, Ontario. The marquee event on the Polaris calendar, the Gala features live musical performances from the nominated acts on the Polaris Short List in addition to the reveal of this year’s winning album. Charlotte Cardin, Jeremy Dutcher, BAMBII, Elisapie, DijahSB, NOBRO, TOBi and a special performance by The Beaches’ lead vocalist Jordan Miller and Thunder Queens have all been confirmed to perform at this year’s Gala. Tickets to the Gala are available now via Massey Hall.
The Polaris Music Prize awards $50,000 courtesy of Slaight Family Foundation, going to the artist who creates the Canadian Album of the Year, judged solely on artistic merit, without consideration for genre or record sales.
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 17 – 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.
