Polaris Music Prize
| Polaris Music Prize | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Description | Best full-length Canadian album based on artistic merit, regardless of genre, sales, or record label. |
| Country | Canada |
| First awarded | 2006 |
| Website | www |
The Polaris Music Prize is a music award annually given to the best full-length Canadian album based on artistic merit, regardless of genre, sales, or record label.[1] The award was established in 2006 with a $20,000 cash prize;[2] the prize was increased to $30,000 for the 2011 award.[3]
The Polaris Music Prize is modeled after United Kingdom/Ireland's Mercury Prize [4] and in turn, inspired the Atlantis Music Prize for Newfoundland and Labrador.[5]
The award is sponsored by MuchMusic, Sirius Satellite Radio, Government of Canada, FACTOR, Rdio, Slaight Communications, Radio Starmaker Fund, SOCAN, Studio Moves, MROC, Galaxie, The Waldorf Hotel, Steam Whistle Brewing and The Drake Hotel.
The Polaris Music Prize gala is broadcast live via Sirius Satellite Radio, online via CBC Radio 3, video streamed live on MuchMusic.com and rebroadcast via cable on MuchMusic.[6]
Jury and selection process
There is no submission process or entry fee for the Polaris Music Prize.[1] Jurors select what they consider to be the five best Canadian albums released in the previous year. The ballots are tabulated with each number one pick awarded five points, a number two pick awarded four points and so on. A long list of 40 titles is tabulated, released in mid June and promoted to the public. The long list is then sent back to the jury. The jurors then re-submit five top picks from this long list.[7]
These ballots are re-tabulated and the top ten titles form the Polaris short list. This list is released in early July and promoted to the public.[1] The ultimate winner is decided by a smaller group of 11 jury members ("The Grand Jury") who convene in Toronto at the Polaris Music Prize gala in late September, and the decision is finalized during the gala as the nominated bands perform.[2]
Jurors are selected by the Polaris Music Prize board of directors.[1] The jury list includes more than 200 Canadian music journalists, bloggers and broadcasters. To ensure an impartial outcome, no one with direct financial relationships with artists is eligible to become a jury member.[1] The organization itself is a registered, not-for-profit corporation. Another key benefit of enlisting music journalists, broadcasters and bloggers as judges is the increased media coverage and creates the conditions to draw attention to quality music in a cluttered commercial landscape and increasingly fractured music scene.[8][9]
Notable jurors have included former MuchMusic VJs Hannah Sung and Hannah Simone, Toronto Star music columnists Ben Rayner and John Sakamoto, Darryl Sterdan (Winnipeg Sun), Mike Bell (Calgary Herald), Stuart Derdeyn (Vancouver Province), Stephen Cooke (The Chronicle Herald), T'Cha Dunlevy (Montreal Gazette), Sandra Sperounes (Edmonton Journal), Brad Wheeler (The Globe and Mail), Alan Ranta (Exclaim!), Explore Music broadcaster Alan Cross, CBC Radio personalities Jowi Taylor, Patti Schmidt, Jian Ghomeshi, Matt Galloway, Grant Lawrence, Lana Gay, Lisa Christiansen and Amanda Putz, Voir music journalists Stéphane Martel, Patrick Baillargeon and Olivier Robillard-Laveaux and The Hour host George Stroumboulopoulos.
Polaris Prize Music Releases
In 2006 and 2007, compilation albums were released featuring songs by the shortlisted artists.
In 2011 Polaris produced four coloured seven inch vinyl singles to celebrate the nominees with each record being a split between two of the nominated artists (tracks from Destroyer and The Weeknd were not included). Each record was limited to 300 copies worldwide.
Past winners and short list nominees
| Year | Winner | Shortlisted Nominees & Albums[10][10][10][11][12][13][14] |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Final Fantasy – He Poos Clouds | |
| 2007 | Patrick Watson – Close to Paradise | |
| 2008 | Caribou – Andorra | |
| 2009 | Fucked Up – The Chemistry of Common Life | |
| 2010 | Karkwa – Les Chemins de verre | |
| 2011 | Arcade Fire – The Suburbs | |
| 2012 | Feist – Metals |
See also
- Canadian rock
- Choice Music Prize (Ireland)
- Mercury Music Prize (United Kingdom and Ireland)
- Australian Music Prize (Australia)
- Prix Constantin (France)
- Shortlist Prize (United States)
References
- ^ a b c d e Frere-Jones, Shasha (2009-09-22). "The Prize That Dare Not Speak Its Name". The New Yorker. Retrieved 2009-09-22.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ a b Molotkow, Alexandra (2010-10-01). "The Indie Rock Swindle". The Walrus. Retrieved 2010-10-01.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "2011 Polaris Music Prize Long List announced". aux.tv, June 16, 2011.
- ^ http://www.aux.tv/2012/07/polaris-music-prize-an-oral-history-as-told-by-its-founders-jurors-and-winners/
- ^ McLean, Steve (2006-06-02). "The Polaris Music Prize Will Go To Canada's Best Album". Chart. Retrieved 2009-07-25.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Wheeler, Brad (2010-10-01). "Should it be called the Polaris 'Indie' Music Prize?". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2010-10-01.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Frere-Jones, Shasha (2009-09-22). "The Prize That Dare Not Speak Its Name". The New Yorker. Retrieved 2009-09-22.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Finn, Brad (1 September 2010). "Should it be called the Polaris 'Indie' Music Prize?". The Globe and Mail. Toronto.
- ^ "Predicting Polaris: Picking Canada's Best Album". Retrieved September 26, 2008.
- ^ a b c "Indie favourites among finalists for Polaris Music Prize". CBC News. 2010-07-04. Retrieved 2010-11-21.[dead link] Cite error: The named reference "Shortlist" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ "Feist, Fire get Polaris noms". Archived from the original on 2007-10-11. Retrieved 2007-07-11.
- ^ Love, Noah (2007-07-10). "Arcade Fire, Feist And The Dears Among Polaris Nominees". Chart. Retrieved 2008-11-20.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Polaris Prize short list unveiled". CBC News. 2010-07-06. Retrieved 2010-09-18.
- ^ "Polaris Music Prize Rolls Out 2011 Short List". Exclaim! Magazine. 2011-07-06. Retrieved 2011-07-06.