2026 Polaris Music Prize
| 2026 Polaris Music Prize | |
|---|---|
| Date | September 22, 2026 |
| Location | Massey Hall Toronto, Ontario |
| Country | Canada |
| Website | polarismusicprize |
The 2026 edition of the Canadian Polaris Music Prize will be presented on September 22, 2026 at Massey Hall in Toronto, Ontario.[1]
The 2026 edition saw changes to the prize's voting process. Instead of the longtime 11-member "grand jury" deliberating and voting on the final winner, the process will now be opened to the full 205-member voting panel who were involved in the nomination process.[2]
Albums
Shortlist
The shortlist for albums was announced on July 9.[3]
- Angine de Poitrine, Vol. II
- Aquakultre, 1783
- Begonia, Fantasy Life
- Bibi Club, Amaro
- Charlotte Cornfield, Hurts Like Hell
- Beverly Glenn-Copeland, Laughter in Summer
- Rochelle Jordan, Through the Wall
- Les Louanges, Alouette!
- Peaches, No Lube So Rude
- Tanya Tagaq, Saputjiji
Longlist
The longlist for albums was announced on June 11.[4]
- Angine de Poitrine, Vol. II
- Aquakultre, 1783
- Baby Nova, Shhugar
- The Beaches, No Hard Feelings
- Begonia, Fantasy Life
- Bibi Club, Amaro
- Boy Golden, Best of Our Possible Lives
- Mariel Buckley, Strange Trip Ahead
- Lou-Adriane Cassidy, Triste Animal
- Ora Cogan, Hard Hearted Woman
- Cootie Catcher, Something We All Got
- Charlotte Cornfield, Hurts Like Hell
- Daphni, Butterfly
- Nadah El Shazly, Laini Tani
- Dominique Fils-Aimé, My World Is the Sun
- Foxwarren, 2
- Beverly Glenn-Copeland, Laughter in Summer
- Holy Fuck, Event Beat
- Home Front, Watch It Die
- JayWood, Leo Negro
- Rochelle Jordan, Through the Wall
- Kaytranada, Ain't No Damn Way!
- Catherine Leduc, Les jours où il neige à tous les postes
- Les Louanges, Alouette!
- Men I Trust, Equus Caballus
- Tami Neilson, Neon Cowgirl
- No Joy, Bugland
- Ouri, Daisy Cutter
- Peaches, No Lube So Rude
- Pony, Clearly Cursed
- Propagandhi, At Peace
- PUP, Who Will Look After the Dogs?
- Julianna Riolino, Echo in the Dust
- Shad, Start Anew
- Slash Need, Sit & Grin
- Arielle Soucy, Passages
- Tanya Tagaq, Saputjiji
- Tobi, For Good Measure (at Dreamhouse Studios)
- Katie Tupper, Greyhound
- Charlotte Day Wilson, Patchwork
Songs
Shortlist
The shortlist for songs was announced on July 29.[5]
- Angine de Poitrine, "Fabienk"
- Charlotte Cornfield, "Hurts Like Hell"
- PUP, "Hunger for Death"
- Patrick Watson and Martha Wainwright, "House on Fire"
- Charlotte Day Wilson feat. Saya Gray, "Lean"
Longlist
The longlist for songs was announced on June 24.[6]
- Angine de Poitrine, "Fabienk"
- Angine de Poitrine, "Yor Zarad"
- Aquakultre, "Gallows"
- Aquakultre, "Holy"
- Begonia, "My Fantasy Life"
- Blue Moon Marquee with Northern Cree, "Put Your Feathers On"
- Mariel Buckley, "Vending Machines"
- Cadence Weapon feat. Junia-T and DijahSB, "Step Out"
- Charlotte Cornfield, "Hurts Like Hell"
- Rochelle Jordan, "The Boy"
- Les Louanges, "Correct"
- Les Louanges, "La journée va être chaude"
- No Joy feat. Fire-Toolz, "Jelly Meadow Bright"
- Ouri feat. Oli XL, "Paris"
- PUP, "Hunger for Death"
- Julianna Riolino, "Seed"
- Sloan, "No Damn Fears"
- Arielle Soucy, "Varieties of Quiet"
- Patrick Watson and Martha Wainwright, "House on Fire"
- Charlotte Day Wilson feat. Saya Gray, "Lean"
Polaris Heritage Prize
Nominees for the Polaris Heritage Prize were announced on August 5, with voting open until August 21.
- Annihilator, Alice in Hell
- Les Colocs, Les Colocs
- Richard Desjardins, Tu m'aimes-tu
- Willie Dunn, Willie Dunn
- Mort Garson, Mother Earth's Plantasia
- Sarah Harmer, You Were Here
- k.d. lang, Absolute Torch and Twang
- Joni Mitchell, Court and Spark
- Muzion, Mentalité Moune Morne... (Ils n'ont pas compris)
- Rough Trade, Avoid Freud
- Various Artists, Kwakiutl: Indian Music of the Pacific Northwest
- The Watchmen, McLaren Furnace Room
References
- ↑ Alex Nino Gheciu, "Angine de Poitrine, Beaches, Kaytranada make Polaris Music Prize long list". The Globe and Mail, June 11, 2026.
- ↑ David Friend, "The Polaris Music Prize is reshaping how it picks Canada's best album of the year". Toronto Star, June 29, 2026.
- ↑ David Friend, "Charlotte Cornfield and indie icon Peaches among Toronto artists shortlisted for $30,000 Polaris Music Prize". Toronto Star, July 9, 2026.
- ↑ Sydney Brasil, "Polaris Music Prize Shares 2026 Long List". Exclaim!, June 11, 2026.
- ↑ "Here are the five finalists for the 2026 SOCAN Polaris Song Prize". Words & Music, July 29, 2026.
- ↑ Natalie Harmsen, "2026 SOCAN Polaris Song Prize long list: Begonia, Cadence Weapon, Charlotte Day Wilson and more". CBC Music, June 24, 2026.