2026 Season Launch
Long List / Jun 10
Short List / Jul 10
Polaris Concert / Sep 16
Heritage Prize / Sep 16
 

Jury

 

The heartbeat of Polaris Music Prize operations, the Polaris Jury is made up of 200+ music experts from across Canada and related unceded Indigenous lands. Jury members are selected annually by the Polaris Jury Foreperson and the Polaris administration team, and may include, but are not limited to journalists, broadcasters, bloggers, programmers, playlist creators, academics, podcasters, DJs and other active music scrutineers who display a wide breadth and depth of knowledge of Canadian music and passion for discovering new music. The jury’s collected expertise across region, genre, era and culture makes for a group that’s uniquely positioned to capture the pulse of the greater Canadian music universe. These volunteer jurors discuss and debate exceptional Canadian music year-round through various Polaris platforms, all with the goal of identifying and celebrating the best music this country has to offer.

Selection Criteria
Jurors evaluate music based on artistic merit. This includes the creativity, originality, and overall impact of the music. The aim is to identify music that stand out for their artistic contributions rather than their commercial success. “Artistic merit” is based on an individual determination by each member of the Jury. Some (but not all) factors jurors consider in making this determination for themselves include the music as a whole piece of work, the themes of the music, production, vocal performance, instrumental performance, and being of its time or being ahead of its time.

Jury Voting Process
All jury members submit a ballot indicating their Top 5 Albums and Songs of the year; the results form the Polaris Prize Album Long List and, after a second round of voting, the Polaris Album Prize Short List. A similar process takes place for the SOCAN Polaris Song Prize. An 11-member Grand Jury is selected each year to convene at the Polaris Concert & Award Show, where they determine the Polaris Prize Winners. To ensure an impartial outcome, no one with direct financial relationships with artists is eligible to become a jury member.

Joining the Jury
If you are actively involved in covering or filtering new and local Canadian music for print, radio, TV, or the web, we would be happy to consider you as a potential juror. Polaris seeks to include jurors from across the country who bring diverse musical perspectives and a dedication to artistic merit. The Jury application is HERE and applications are reviewed in October to December each year.

Jury Log In


Kelsey Adams

CBC Music

Gregory Adams

Freelance Journalist / Journaliste pigiste

Richie Assaly

The Grind

Patrick Baillargeon

PANM360

Danica Bansie

Pirate Sound

Karla M. Barašević

Spotify

Michael Barclay

That Night in Toronto

Darlene Barss

OurBasement.ca

Patrick Bateman

The Road The Stage

Tanya Beaumont

Radio Canada

Adrien Begrand

Decibel Magazine

Cédric Bélanger

Journal de Québec

Audrey Bélanger

Shift Radio

Stuart Berman

Pitchfork / Commotion

Matt Berry

x92.9

Joëlle Bertrand

Freelance Consultant

Karen Bliss

Pollstar

Kwame Boison

Summer Knocks

Olivier Boisvert-Magnen

Radio-Canada

Jacques Boivin

ecoutedonc.ca

Erin Bond

CHSR 97.9FM

James Booth

CBC Radio 3

Rob Bowman

York University

Sydney Brasil

Exclaim!

Keeley Braunstein-Black

Stylus Magazine

Ryan Bresee

CKCU 93.1 FM

Darcy Briggs

Darcy Ska

Alain Brunet

panm360.com

Angelica Calcagnile

CJLO

Julia Caron

CBC Radio

Nicholas Chelsom McCormick

CFCR

Sena Cheung

RX Music

Emily Chiarvesio

Met Radio

Ryan Chung

CBC Music Mornings

Brian Cleveland

Local 107.3 FM

Shawn Conner

Vancouver Sun/Province

Teresinha Costa (DJ Nico)

Totally Wired Radio

Bruno Coulombe

Le Canal Auditif

Del Cowie

Freelance Journalist / Journaliste pigiste

Alan Cross

102.1 the Edge

Jamaias DaCosta

Deejay Jams

Véda De Santis

CIBL

Jasmine Denham

CBC

Stuart Derdeyn

Postmedia

Mike Devlin

Times Colonist

Jim Di Gioia

the act of just being [t]here

Mary Dickie

Freelance Journalist / Journaliste pigiste

Marko Djurdjic

Exclaim!

Kerry Doole

Billboard Canada

Howard Druckman

SOCAN Words & Music online magazine

Marie-Kim Dupuis-Brault

Sors-tu.ca

Nancy Dutra

Freelance Journalist / Journaliste pigiste

Yara El-Soueidi

Freelance Journalist / Journaliste pigiste

Michael Elves

UMFM 101.5

Tyler Elynuik

Rave & Drool

Kenn Enns

Reverie

Sarah Erasmus

Cabin Radio

Sarah Evangelista

The Music Enthusiast

Brian Fauteux

University of Alberta

Jenny Feniak

Edmonton Journal

Marie-Ève Fortin-Laferrière

Freelance Writer / Rédactrice indépendante

Simon Fournier

Freelance Journalist / Journaliste pigiste

Emily Gale

CKXU

Dany Gallant

Freelance Journalist / Journaliste pigiste

Nathan Gill

CBC Music

Andrea Gin

CBC Music

Holly Gordon

CBC Music

Ian Gormely

Kool Kids Music Club

Phyllis Grant

Welneweg Arts Collective

Démar Grant

Album Mode

Allie Gregory

Exclaim!

Marissa Groguhé

La Presse

A. Harmony

Freelance journalist / Journaliste pigiste

Natalie Harmsen

CBC Music

Peter Hemminger

CJSW

Matt Horseman

Freelance Journalist / Journaliste pigiste

Lise Hosein

CBC's q

Vi Houssin

Freelance journalist / Journaliste pigiste

Guillaume Hubermont

Radio Canada

Dylan Hudecki

Hamilton City Magazine

Alex Hudson

Exclaim!

Omar Husain

CJLO 1690 AM

Nicholas Jennings

Freelance Journalist / Journaliste pigiste

Élise Jetté

journaliste pigiste

Dooshima Jev

Afros In Tha City

Daryl Keating

Exclaim!

Alex Kennedy

Idieyoudie.com

Vish Khanna

Kreative Kontrol

Kate Killet

Freelance Journalist / Journaliste pigiste

Jesse Kinos-Goodin

CBC Music

Nick Krewen

Freelance Journalist / Journaliste pigiste

Nadya Kwandibens

Red Works Photography

LP Labrèche

Le Canal Auditif

Nicolas Lacasse

Radio-Canada / ICI Musique

Lisa Lagace

Freelance Journalist / Journaliste pigiste

Melissa Langley

DJ MelBoogie / VIBE 105

Aly Laube

Freelance journalist / Journaliste pigiste

Marc-Xavier (Bones) LeBlanc

Freelance Journalist / Journaliste pigiste

Marsha Lederman

Globe And Mail

Troy Lemberg

CFUV

Valérie Lessard

Radio-Canada Ottawa-Gatineau

Caroline Lévesque

Radio-Canada Acadie

Madeline Lines

Range

Erin Lowers

TikTok Canada

Mark Macarthur

CBC Music

Darcy MacDonald

Cult MTL

David MacIntyre

Cult MTL

Sarah MacKenzie

MUTEK

Erin MacLeod

Freelance Journalist / Journaliste pigiste

Jason MacNeil

Freelance Journalist / Journaliste pigiste

Craig

Banger Films

Kerry Martin

Amazon Music

Russ Martin

Pop Pantheon

Bryce Maruk

Locked Groove

Antoine-Samuel Mauffette Alavo

Freelance Journalist / Journaliste pigiste

Christine McAvoy

3am Revelations

Tara McCarthy

CBC Radio One

Brennan McCracken

Freelance Journalist / Journaliste pigiste

Kerilie McDowall

The Discourse arts/music, Freelance writer

Dustin McGladrey

House Of Cooper Films

Daniel McIntosh

Range

David McPherson

Freelance Journalist / Journaliste pigiste

Simone A Medina Polo

Freelance Journalist / Journaliste pigiste

Marie Mello

Freelance Journalist / Journaliste pigiste

Max Mertens

Freelance Journalist / Journaliste pigiste

Mack Meyer

CBC Calgary

Sean Michaels

Said The Gramophone, Globe & Mail

Kate Mior

Freelance Journalist / Journaliste pigiste

Max Mohenu

Freelance journalist / Journaliste pigiste

Marc-André Mongrain

Sors-tu.ca

Em Moore

Punknews.org / Freelance Journalist

Morgan Mullin

Freelance Journalist / Journaliste pigiste

Kyle Muzyka

Freelance Journalist / Journaliste pigiste

Vanessa Nigro

CBC Radio

Sun Noor

For The Record

Josh O'Kane

The Globe And Mail

Luke Ottenhof

Freelance Journalist / Journaliste pigiste

Rosheeka Parahoo

RP Research & Consulting

Roch Parisien

Rocon Communications

Ryan B. Patrick

Freelance Journalist / Journaliste pigiste

Guillaume Pepin

CHYZ 94,3

Emily Plunkett

Canadian Beats

Catherine Pogonat

Radio-Canada

Benoit Poirier

Freelance Journalist / Journaliste pigiste

Mitch Pollock

q on CBC Radio 1

Jennie Punter

Musicworks

Alan Ranta

Freelance Journalist / Journaliste pigiste

Amelie Revert

Freelance Journalist / Journaliste pigiste

Rosina Riccardo

CJAM 99.1 FM

Alexandra Rimmington

CFRU

Émilie Rioux

Freelance Journalist / Journaliste pigiste

Rhea Rollmann

CHMR

Marie-Lise Rousseau

Freelance Journalist / Journaliste pigiste

Acey Rowe

CBC

Andrew Ryce

Futureproofing/Pitchfork

Yasmine Shemesh

Freelance Journalist / Journaliste pigiste

Tabassum Siddiqui

Freelance Journalist / Journaliste pigiste

Ra'keem Simmonds

CKDU/ Black Cultural Centre For Nova Scotia

Scott Simpson

Freelance Journalist / Journalist pigist

Mackenzie Smedmor

CUTV

Adriel Smiley

CJTM | The Cool Table Live

Blayne Smith

BangerTV

Arianne Smith-Piquette

CKUA

Amanda Ste-Marie

Stingray

Grant Stovel

CKUA

Kaitlyn Swan

CBC's Q with Tom Power

Ric Taylor

Freelance Journalist / Journaliste pigiste

Brandy Taylor

Sonic 102.9 Edmonton

Jamie Tennant

CFMU

Donald Teplyske

Fervor Coulee/CJSR

Samuel Thompson

Witchpolice Radio

Melissa Tobin

CBC Radio 1

Richard Trapunski

Billboard Canada

Yanick Tremblay

ARS Media

Amy van Keeken

CKUA

Jasmine Vickaryous

CKUA

J.C. Villamere

Freelance Journalist / Journaliste pigiste

Phil Villeneuve

yohomo.ca

Ben Waldman

Winnipeg Free Press

Anya Maria Wassenberg

Ludwig-Van.com

V.S. Wells

Georgia Straight

Adam White

Some Party

Lisa Whittington-Hill

This Magazine

Paige Williams

Paige Backstage

Chris Wilson

It\'s OK*

Daniel G. Wilson

New Feeling

Carl Wilson

Freelance Journalist / Journaliste pigiste

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