The Polaris Music Prize has revealed its 2025 Long List, marking the 20th anniversary of the Canadian award that continues to prize artistic merit over market metrics. This year’s 40-album selection reflects a wide-ranging sonic landscape—from experimental noise and francophone pop to folk, rap, ambient jazz, and everything in between.
Among the nominees are past winners Backxwash (Only Dust Remains) and Caribou (Honey), alongside Polaris debutants like Ribbon Skirt (Bite Down) and Eliza Niemi (Progress Bakery). Montreal’s own Flore Laurentienne and Choses Sauvages join a solid Québec contingent, with records like Journal d’un Loup-Garou by Lou-Adriane Cassidy and Klô Pelgag’s Abracadabra adding weight to the list.
In total, 189 albums were considered by the 205-member jury, with 16 artists making the Long List for the first time. A few selections stand out for their critical heft—Mustafa’s Dunya, a poetic exploration of grief and identity, and Destroyer’s Dan’s Boogie, which continues Dan Bejar’s unpredictable trajectory into art-rock abstraction.
The Long List announcement was made at Paradise Wine Bar in Toronto’s west end, featuring an installation by Oasis Skateboard Factory and appearances from past nominees and winners. It’s the first of several expanded initiatives for Polaris’ milestone year.
Notably, 2025 introduces two major new components. The SOCAN Polaris Song Prize will debut this summer, honouring Canadian songwriting with a process mirroring the main prize. A 20-song Long List will be unveiled on June 24, followed by a five-song Short List on July 29. The winner—receiving $10,000—will be announced alongside the album winner at the annual Polaris Gala.
Also new is the Polaris Festival, a month-long celebration throughout September. Presented by SiriusXM Canada, the festival will feature listening parties, artist salons, poster exhibits, and performances, culminating in the awards night at Massey Hall on September 16.
The 10-album Short List will be revealed July 10. For now, the 2025 Long List stands as another reminder of the breadth, depth, and daring of Canadian music—past, present, and emerging.
The 2025 Polaris Music Prize Album Long List is:
- Art d’Ecco – Serene Demon
- Backxwash – Only Dust Remains
- Quinton Barnes – CODE NOIR
- Bibi Club – Feu de garde
- Basia Bulat – Basia’s Palace
- Caribou – Honey
- Lou-Adriane Cassidy – Journal d’un Loup-Garou
- Choses Sauvages – Choses Sauvages III
- Cold Specks – Light For The Midnight
- Antoine Corriveau – Oiseau de Nuit
- Marie Davidson – City Of Clowns
- Destroyer – Dan’s Boogie
- Myriam Gendron – Mayday
- Gloin – All of your anger is actually shame (and I bet that makes you angry)
- Saya Gray – SAYA
- Hildegard – Jour 1596
- Yves Jarvis – All Cylinders
- Kaia Kater – Strange Medicine
- Bells Larsen – Blurring Time
- Richard Laviolette – All Wild Things Are Shy
- Wyatt C. Louis – Chandler
- Kelly McMichael – After The Sting Of It
- Men I Trust – Equus Asinus
- Mustafa – Dunya
- N NAO – Nouveau langage
- Nemahsis – Verbathim
- Eliza Niemi – Progress Bakery
- The OBGMs – SORRY, IT’S OVER
- Dorothea Paas – Think Of Mist
- Klô Pelgag – Abracadabra
- Population II – Maintenant Jamais
- Ribbon Skirt – Bite Down
- Ariane Roy – Dogue
- Mike Shabb – Sewaside III
- Sister Ray – Believer
- Snotty Nose Rez Kids – RED FUTURE
- The Weather Station – Humanhood
- Rick White and The Sadies – Rick White and The Sadies
- Donovan Woods – Things Were Never Good If They’re Not Good Now
- Yoo Doo Right – From the Heights of Our Pastureland
