The Polaris Music Prize, presented by CBC Music and produced by Blue Ant Media, announced the Short List nominees that will be performing at this year’s Gala on September 19th at The Carlu in Toronto. The performers include: Black Mountain, Basia Bulat, Carly Rae Jepsen, Jessy Lanza, Andy Shauf, U.S. Girls and White Lung. Grimes and Kaytranada will be attending. PUP are not able to come as they are playing in Austria that night. Limited public tickets are on sale now via Ticketfly.com.
The prize also announced the Grand Jury. The following 11 jurists will convene on the night of the gala to decide the winner: Adrien Begrand (freelance), Lisa Christiansen (CBC Radio One – Vancouver), Del Cowie (CBC Music), Howard Druckman (SOCAN Words & Music), Lana Gay (Indie 88), Carla Gillis (NOW Magazine), Andrew King (Canadian Musician), Lisa Lagace (Turn The Record Over), Trevor Risk (Ion Magazine), Joni Sadler (CKUT) and Fateema Sayani (Ottawa Magazine).
The eligibility period for the 2016 Polaris Music Prize runs from June 1, 2015 to May 31, 2016. An independent jury of music journalists, broadcasters and music bloggers from across Canada determines the Long List and Short List. Eleven people are selected from the larger jury pool to serve on the Grand Jury and they will convene the night of the gala to select the Polaris Music Prize winner.
The Polaris Music Prize will award $50,000 to the artist who creates the Canadian Album of the Year. Each of the nine other short listed artists will receive $3,000 courtesy of Slaight Music. Judged solely on artistic merit, without consideration of genre or record sales, the prize’s past winners are 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).
