Allison Russell, Charlotte Cardin, DijahSB Shortlisted for 2024 Polaris Music Prize

Some of Canadian music's biggest breakthroughs of the last year are facing off for the prestigious Polaris Music Prize.

Charlotte Cardin for 99 Nights, The Beaches for Blame My Ex, Allison Russell for The Returner and Cindy Lee for Diamond Jubilee are among the ten artists shortlisted for the 2024 award, which recognizes the best Canadian album of the year.

All four have had big accolades for their shortlisted albums — Cardin and The Beaches picked up Juno awards earlier this year, while Russell won a Grammy for best American roots performance, and Cindy Lee received the highest Pitchforkscore since 2020.

Now, they're all in contention for the $50,000 Polaris Prize, vying for the award against previous winner Jeremy Dutcher; returning shortlisters DijahSB, TOBi and Elisapie; Montreal punk trio NOBRO; and Toronto producer and DJ Bambii.

The ten albums cover a range of genres, from hip hop to singer-songwriter, roots to dance music, with a majority of the albums made by women, non-binary and Two-Spirit artists.

The winner will be announced at the Polaris Gala on September 17, at Toronto's Massey Hall. The Gala is also set to feature appearances from Charlotte Cardin, Jeremy Dutcher, Bambii, NOBRO, TOBi and DijahSB.

The Beaches' lead singer Jordan Miller will also perform with backing band The Thunder Queens. There's no word on whether Nashville-based Allison Russell or the infamously elusive Cindy Lee will appear.

The shortlist narrows the contenders from the 40-album longlist revealed in June, with both lists voted on by the Prize's 200-person volunteer jury of critics and experts. The winner, though, is not voted on by the jury as a whole, but selected by a Grand Jury of 11 jurors, with each shortlist album championed by one Grand Jury member. [Several members of Billboard Canada's editorial team are on the jury, including this writer.]

The 2024 winner will join a cohort of previous winners that includes big names like Feist, Godspeed! You Black Emperor, Kaytranada, Tanya Tagaq and last year's winner, Debby Friday.

The Polaris Prize honours albums based solely on artistic merit, with no regard for sales or label affiliation.

Tickets are for the September 17 Gala are on sale now.

2024 Polaris Prize Shortlist

BAMBII — INFINITY CLUB

The Beaches — Blame My Ex

Charlotte Cardin — 99 Nights

DijahSB — The Flower That Knew

Jeremy Dutcher — Motewolonuwok

Elisapie — Inuktitut

Cindy Lee — Diamond Jubilee

NOBRO — Set Your Pussy Free

Allison Russell — The Returner

TOBi — Panic