The contenders for the prestigious Canadian prize for album of the year have been announced. The nominees include Angine de Poitrine, Charlotte Cornfield, Kaytranada, PUP and more.
The long list for the 2026 Polaris Music Prize was announced yesterday (June 11) at NXNE. The announcement was made at the NXNE Artist House in Toronto and featured a number of current and previous nominees in attendance.
The annual Polaris Music Prize awards $30,000 courtesy of the Slaight Family Foundation to the artist who creates the Canadian album of the year, judged solely on artistic merit, without consideration for genre or record sales. The 2026 Album Prize winner will be determined by a vote by the full jury of music critics, journalists and curators after a series of grand jury presentations and debate sessions.
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In total, 202 albums were considered for the long list by the 205-member jury this season.
The album long list reveal is the first major announcement of the Polaris season. The 10 finalist albums on the Polaris Prize short list will be named on July 9, and the Polaris Music Prize winner will be honoured at the Polaris concert and award ceremony at Massey Hall, Toronto, on Sept. 22.
The list includes 13 first-time nominees as well as three past winners (Kaytranada, Tanya Tagaq, and Daphni’s Dan Snaith, who won as Caribou) and two past Polaris Heritage Prize recipients (Beverly Glenn-Copeland, Peaches).
The album also features newcomers like Angine de Poitrine, arguably the biggest band in Canada right now, who this week made a surprise appearance at Billboard Canada Power Players to accept the Global Breakthrough Award.
