Here's the inaugural 2025 Polaris Song Prize short list
These 5 songs are in the running to win the $10,000 award
The short list for the Polaris Song Prize, which will go to the Canadian song of the year, has just been announced.
The Canadian performers and songwriters of the winning song will split the $10,000 prize money, and the winner will be determined based on artistic merit, without regard to musical genre or commercial popularity, by the Polaris jury.
The brand new prize is presented by Polaris, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary, and the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN), which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.
This announcement comes a little more than two weeks after Polaris announced its short list for the annual Polaris Music Prize, which goes to the best Canadian album of the year. Past winners include Tanya Tagaq, Feist, Kaytranada, Caribou, Jeremy Dutcher and Debby Friday.
In a musical landscape where more and more artists are releasing singles rather than full-length albums, the Polaris and SOCAN teams decided to launch the new Polaris Song Prize to provide artists with more opportunities for recognition. The 20-song long list was revealed in June, and the winning song — and album — will be announced at the Polaris award ceremony on Sept. 16.
Here's the full list of nominees for the Polaris Song Prize:
- Dis-moi dis-moi dis-moi, Lou-Adriane Cassidy (written by Lou-Adriane Cassidy and Alexandre Martel)
- Shell (Of a Man), Saya Gray (written by Saya Gray and John Mavro)
- Gold Filigree, Yves Jarvis (written by Yves Jarvis)
- Gaza Is Calling, Mustafa (written by Mustafa Ahmed, Emmanuel Hailemariam, Simon Hessman and Nicolas Jaar)
- Wrong Planet, Ribbon Skirt (written by Tashiina Buswa and Billy Riley)
Each shortlisted song this year is also from a shortlisted album, which means CBC Music's radio series The Ten will perfectly prepare you by giving an in-depth look at each of this year's nominated records. Hosted by Odario Williams and featuring guests from the Polaris jury, the episodes will be broadcast each Sunday on CBC Music and CBC Listen at 6 p.m. (6:30 NT) running until Sept. 14.
You can listen to the episodes that have already aired via CBC Listen.
