It's official: as per the Prism Prize, the best Canadian music video of 2024 is Mustafa's "Name of God," which has been named the grand prize winner of the annual awards recognizing outstanding artistry in music video production. Additionally, the fan-voted Audience Award has been presented to Exclaim! New Faves alum Nemahsis for "i wanna be your right hand."
As selected by a jury of over 120 figures in Canadian music, film and media arts, Mustafa's self-directed clip has earned him $20,000 — the largest monetary award for music videos given out anywhere in the world — while Nemahsis shares the $2,500 Audience Award with co-directors Norman Wong and Amy Gardner.
"Amidst the growing recognition of Canadian creative work, the Prism Prize jury has thoughtfully selected exemplary works that highlight the artistry of music videos and the talents of the creators behind them," Vice-President of Programming & Awards at the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television and Founder of the Prism Prize, Louis Calabro, said in a press release. "Congratulations to Mustafa, who consistently creates videos that beautifully complement his music, and to all our award recipients, who are elevating the industry with their creativity and commitment to the art form."
Mustafa previously won the Prism Prize in 2022 with another self-directed video for "Ali" from his 2021 debut album, When Smoke Rises, which landed on Exclaim!'s Best Albums list that year. Last year, the Prism Prize grand prize winners were Snotty Nose Rez Kids for "DAMN RIGHT," while Dan Mangan was voted the recipient of the Audience Award.
Each year, the Prism Prize honours additional Canadian contributions to the craft of the music video with the Special Awards. The 2024 Hi-Fidelity Award is going to shy kids for their innovative use of the form, while TOBi takes home the Willie Dunn Award for his community-focused video excellence.
Elsewhere, Toronto-based filmmaker Yú — who has directed recent videos for Pierre Kwenders and Korea Town Acid — was honoured with the Lippsett Award, and Ethan Tobman of Remote Design Inc. was presented the Special Achievement Award for his creative direction on Taylor Swift's Eras Tour and Allison Russell's JUNO-winning "Demons" video.
