Here's Everything You Need to Know About the 2022 Prism Prize

Four Special Awards will be presented alongside the Grand Prize on July 7

BY Megan LaPierrePublished Jun 30, 2022

Celebrating visual excellence in Canadian music videos, the annual Prism Prize announced its Top 10 short list of nominees for the 2022 Grand Prize last month, selected by a jury of more than 130 of the top minds in Canadian music, film and media arts.

As the July 7 awards presentation draws nearer, the Prism Prize has now announced this year's Special Awards recipients — and we've got everything you need to know about the show. Read on to find out who's up for what, as well as how to watch the presentation and find out the winners of the $20,000 Grand Prize for the best Canadian music video of the year and the fan-voted Audience Award, which now gives $5,000 to the winner through the Prism Prize's partnership with Stingray, in real-time alongside all of the music industry movers and shakers.

Each year, in addition to the Grand Prize, the Special Awards recognize the contributions of some of the groundbreaking creatives who have left their mark on music video production in Canada and beyond. Four artists have been selected as this year's recipients, and will have their awards presented to them at the live screening and awards show at the TIFF Bell Lightbox in Toronto.

Honouring artists who utilize the music video medium in innovative ways, the Hi-Fidelity Award (supported by FACTOR, the Government of Canada and Canada's Private Radio Broadcasters) for 2022 is presented to recent Exclaim! cover star, Montreal's Chiiild. The singer-songwriter born Yonatan Ayal released his debut album Hope for Sale last year, crystallizing his musical mission of probing questions about humanity with his genre-blending brand of storytelling that unites across differences.

The Lipsett Award, established to recognize a unique approach to the art of the music video, is presented to Iris Kim. The Toronto-based director is renowned for her valourization of a good dramatic moment, whether it's a swooping dolly-in or a razor-sharp edit.

Supported by the Slaight Family Foundation, the Special Achievement Award acknowledges an extraordinary contribution on the world stage. It's being presented to Sammy Rawal, a Toronto-based director and digital artist who has garnered international attention with his maximalist commercial campaigns, music videos, 3D-inspired video portraits and digital installations bursting with colour and culturally diverse influences.

Finally, the Willie Dunn Award salutes a Canadian who has proven to be a force of excellence within the music, music video and/or film production communities. The 2022 award is presented to Toronto's Mustafa, who released his debut album When Smoke Rises in 2021. As the recipient of this award, Mustafa will receive a $2,500 honorarium and select an emerging Canadian creative to spotlight during the live screening and awards presentation. They will be the beneficiary of $2,500 and will be announced in the coming days on the @PrismPrize social media channels.

One of this year's Top 10 Prism Prize finalists will receive the Grand Prize honour during the live screening and presentation, starting at 8 p.m. ET on July 7. You can tune in to the livestream online via the Prism Prize website.

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