Announcing the 2025 Polaris Music Prize Long List on June 10, 2025

The Polaris Music Prize is proud to continue its commitment to celebrating artistic excellence in Canadian music. Each year, Polaris brings together music lovers, artists, and a diverse jury to discover, discuss, and honour the most compelling albums released in Canada — based solely on artistic merit, without consideration for genre, sales, or commercial popularity.

At the heart of the Album Prize is a jury of over 200 esteemed music journalists, broadcasters, bloggers, curators, and programmers from across the country and adjoining unceded Indigenous territories. These jurors play a vital role in shaping the Polaris Music Prize Long List, Short List, and ultimately, selecting the Prize winner. Through their expertise and broad perspectives, Polaris aims to reflect the richness and complexity of Canada’s music landscape.

The 2025 Long List — comprising 40 exceptional albums — will be revealed on Tuesday, June 10 at 6:10PM ET, presented in proud partnership with the Canada Council for the Arts. This annual announcement provides an important platform for Canadian artists at all stages of their careers, and often marks a critical milestone of recognition and discovery.

This year also marks 20 years of Polaris, and to commemorate this milestone, we will be announcing a new initiative on June 10.

Following the Long List, the Short List of 10 finalist albums will be announced on July 10, with further details to follow.

Join us as we celebrate two decades of championing Canadian music that challenges, inspires, and endures.