After coronavirus-related restrictions forced the Polaris Music Prize to cancel its annual gala, organizers have now detailed their 2020 winner announcement along with this year's Grand Jury selections.
En lieu of the gala, the Polaris Music Prize will celebrate their 2020 short list with a "special cinematic tribute" hosted by CBC Music's Angeline Tetteh-Wayoe.
The presentation will be broadcast in Canada on the free CBC Gem streaming service, CBC Music's Facebook, Twitter and YouTube pages, and through CBCMusic.ca/Polaris on October 19 at 8 p.m. ET. The 2020 Polaris-winning album will be revealed live at the end of this event.
You can revisit this year's short list below, featuring selections from Pantayo, Caribou, U.S. Girls, Kaytranada and recent Exclaim! cover star Backxwash, whose God Has Nothing to Do with This Leave Him out of It topped our list of Best Albums of 2020 So Far. The short list was pared down from long list of 40 Canadian albums, shared in June.
Organizers have also detailed the 11-member Grand Jury, who will convene virtually on October 19 to select the winner. The panel includes Chad Brunet (CJSR), Ricky Castanedo Laredo (CJSF), Bruno Coulombe (Le Canal Auditif), Chaka V. Grier (freelance), Kimberley Dooshima Jef (freelance), Liisa Ladouceur (freelance), Sarah MacDonald (freelance), Sofie Mikhaylova, Chad Pelley, Anuska Sarkar (freelance) and Ian Steaman (Different Kitchen).
Since 2006, the Polaris Music Prize has been awarded to the "artist who creates the Canadian Album of the Year, judged solely on artistic merit, without consideration for genre or record sales" by a panel of music journalists and industry figures.
One grand prize of $50,000 will be awarded, while the other short list contenders will receive prizes of $3,000 each (courtesy of Slaight Music).
2020 Polaris Prize Short List:
Backxwash - God Has Nothing To Do With This Leave Him Out Of It
Caribou - Suddenly
Junia-T - Studio Monk
Kaytranada - Bubba
nêhiyawak - nipiy
Pantayo - Pantayo
Lido Pimienta - Miss Colombia
Jessie Reyez - Before Love Came to Kill Us
U.S. Girls - Heavy Light
Witch Prophet - DNA Activation
En lieu of the gala, the Polaris Music Prize will celebrate their 2020 short list with a "special cinematic tribute" hosted by CBC Music's Angeline Tetteh-Wayoe.
The presentation will be broadcast in Canada on the free CBC Gem streaming service, CBC Music's Facebook, Twitter and YouTube pages, and through CBCMusic.ca/Polaris on October 19 at 8 p.m. ET. The 2020 Polaris-winning album will be revealed live at the end of this event.
You can revisit this year's short list below, featuring selections from Pantayo, Caribou, U.S. Girls, Kaytranada and recent Exclaim! cover star Backxwash, whose God Has Nothing to Do with This Leave Him out of It topped our list of Best Albums of 2020 So Far. The short list was pared down from long list of 40 Canadian albums, shared in June.
Organizers have also detailed the 11-member Grand Jury, who will convene virtually on October 19 to select the winner. The panel includes Chad Brunet (CJSR), Ricky Castanedo Laredo (CJSF), Bruno Coulombe (Le Canal Auditif), Chaka V. Grier (freelance), Kimberley Dooshima Jef (freelance), Liisa Ladouceur (freelance), Sarah MacDonald (freelance), Sofie Mikhaylova, Chad Pelley, Anuska Sarkar (freelance) and Ian Steaman (Different Kitchen).
Since 2006, the Polaris Music Prize has been awarded to the "artist who creates the Canadian Album of the Year, judged solely on artistic merit, without consideration for genre or record sales" by a panel of music journalists and industry figures.
One grand prize of $50,000 will be awarded, while the other short list contenders will receive prizes of $3,000 each (courtesy of Slaight Music).
2020 Polaris Prize Short List:
Backxwash - God Has Nothing To Do With This Leave Him Out Of It
Caribou - Suddenly
Junia-T - Studio Monk
Kaytranada - Bubba
nêhiyawak - nipiy
Pantayo - Pantayo
Lido Pimienta - Miss Colombia
Jessie Reyez - Before Love Came to Kill Us
U.S. Girls - Heavy Light
Witch Prophet - DNA Activation