Saya Gray performing at the 2025 Polaris Music Prize Concert & Award Ceremony at Massey Hall – Photo by Wade Muir
Support Polaris Music Prize in its ongoing mission to uplift Canadian music of merit and the artists who make it.
Polaris is a Canadian charitable arts organization that celebrates music as art—independent of genre, sales, or popularity. Your gift sustains artist fees and prizes, an independent 200+ member jury programme, free and ticketed public events across the Polaris Festival, cultural preservation through the Heritage Prize and poster commissions, and the open Music Submissions portal. Give once or monthly to help us champion Canadian music and the artists who make it.
Your contribution helps Polaris execute and expand our Community Development Programme for emerging talent, fund outreach events in communities across Canada, support day-to-day operations that make the season possible, and—always—raise up the artists in our universe in every way we’re able.
What your gift sustains
- Artist support: fees for performances at Polaris events and award ceremonies, and prize funds tied to our programmes.
- Independent jurying: a national, merit-based listening and debate process led by 200+ critics and curators.
- Access & community: free and public-facing programming that invites more people into Canadian music culture.
- Cultural legacy: ongoing storytelling, archives, and design commissions that document Canadian music history.
The Polaris Music Prize is a not-for-profit, registered charity. Tax receipts are issued for donations of $25 and above.
Impact at a glance
- 92% of nominees say Polaris raised their profile
- 67% booked more shows after the nomination
- 61% saw a bump in sales, streams, or syncs
- 50%+ directly credit Polaris with career growth
- 700+ Long List artists promoted · 200+ jurors annually · 10,000+ Festival attendees
- 210 original posters commissioned · 43 Heritage albums honoured · 40+ nonprofit partners supported
- $1M+ in prize money and $500K+ in artist fees directed to artists
