20 NOMINEES REVEALED FOR SECOND EDITION OF SOCAN POLARIS SONG PRIZE

TORONTO, ON – June 24, 2026

CBC presents the 2026 Polaris Music Prize has revealed the 20 nominee Long List for the second edition of the SOCAN Polaris Song Prize. Launched last year as part of Polaris’ 20th and SOCAN’s 100th anniversaries, the Song Prize rewards $10,000 for one winning song, split between the song’s Canadian performers and the song’s credited Canadian songwriter(s).

Similar to the Polaris Album Prize, the SOCAN Polaris Song Prize honours the Canadian song of the year, based on artistic merit, without regard to musical genre or commercial popularity. 

The winning song will be revealed during the Polaris Concert & Award Ceremony, powered by FACTOR, taking place at Toronto’s Massey Hall on Tuesday, September 22. Tickets to the Polaris Concert & Award Ceremony are on sale now via the Massey Hall website. To celebrate the Song Prize Long List, Polaris is offering 15% off tickets with the code POLARIS15.

The 2026 SOCAN Polaris Song Prize Long List is:

Angine de Poitrine – Fabienk

Angine de Poitrine – Yor Zarad

Aquakultre – Gallows

Aquakultre – Holy

Begonia – My Fantasy Life

Blue Moon Marquee & Northern Cree – PUT YOUR FEATHERS ON 

Mariel Buckley – Vending Machines

Cadence Weapon, Junia-T & DijahSB – Step Out 

Charlotte Cornfield – Hurts Like Hell

Rochelle Jordan – The Boy

Les Louanges – Correct

Les Louanges – La journée va être chaude 

No Joy, Fire-Toolz – Jelly Meadow Bright

Ouri – Paris (Ft. Oli XL)

PUP – Hunger For Death

Julianna Riolino – Seed

Sloan – No Damn Fears

Arielle Soucy – Varieties of Quiet

Patrick Watson & Martha Wainwright – House on Fire

Charlotte Day Wilson – Lean (feat. Saya Gray)

This is the first set of Song Prize nominations for everyone involved except Saya Gray, who was also nominated last year for their work “Shell (Of A Man).” The Song Prize Long List was created and voted forward by the 205 members of the Canada-wide Polaris Music Prize jury. The first-ever SOCAN Polaris Song Prize was awarded to Mustafa for “Gaza is Calling,” and was written by Mustafa Ahmed, Emmanuel Hailemariam, Simon Hessman and Nicolas Jaar. 

With Canadian musicians creating more single releases annually, an award in this segment provides artists and songwriters with additional opportunities to be acknowledged and supported by Polaris, its partners, and the industry. Polaris aims to ensure these outstanding works receive the recognition they deserve. By expanding our awards, we strengthen our mission to celebrate and elevate the diversity and creativity of Canadian music.

The 10 finalist albums on the Polaris Music Prize Album Short List will be revealed on July 9 and the five nominee Song Prize Short List will be announced on July 29. 

Key dates in the 2026 Polaris season include:

  • Thursday, June 11 – 40 Album Long List announced at NXNE
  • Wednesday, June 24 – 20 Song Long List announced
  • Thursday, July 9 – 10 Album Short List announced
  • Wednesday, July 29 – 5 Song Short List announced
  • Wednesday, August 5 – Heritage Prize nominees announced; public voting opens
  • Friday, August 21 – Heritage Prize public voting closes
  • Tuesday, September 22 – Polaris Concert & Award Ceremony at Massey Hall
  • Throughout September – Polaris Festival (programming to be announced) 

Join the Polaris newsletter to stay up to date on all these announcements and more.

POLARIS SONG PRIZE WINNERS

The 2025 winner was Mustafa’s “Gaza is Calling,” written by Mustafa Ahmed, Emmanuel Hailemariam, Simon Hessman and Nicolas Jaar. 

POLARIS ALBUM PRIZE WINNERS

The past winners are Yves Jarvis (2025), Jeremy Dutcher (2024), Debby Friday (2023), Pierre Kwenders (2022), Cadence Weapon (2021), Backxwash (2020), Haviah Mighty (2019), Jeremy Dutcher (2018), Lido Pimienta (2017), Kaytranada (2016), Tanya Tagaq (2014), Godspeed You! Black Emperor (2013), Feist (2012), Arcade Fire (2011), Karkwa (2010), Fucked Up (2009), Caribou (2008), Patrick Watson (2007) and Final Fantasy / Owen Pallett (2006).

CBC presents the 2026 Polaris Music Prize. This year’s Concert & Award Ceremony is powered by FACTOR, the Government of Canada, and Canada’s private radio broadcasters. It is supported by SiriusXM Canada, Ontario Creates, the Government of Ontario, the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund, and the Slaight Family Foundation.

ABOUT POLARIS MUSIC PRIZE

The Polaris Music Prize is a registered charity organization that annually honours and rewards artists who produce Canadian music of distinction. A select panel of music critics judge and award the Prize without regard to musical genre or commercial popularity.

ABOUT SOCAN  

SOCAN is Canada’s largest member-owned music rights organization, championing the fundamental value of music and the people who create it. SOCAN collects license fees for the public performance and reproduction of music, matches them to rights holders, and distributes them as royalties to songwriters, composers and music creators and publishers in Canada and around the world. With more than a century of expertise and innovation, SOCAN stands for respect and fair compensation for creative work – protecting, recognizing, and celebrating its over 200,000 songwriter, composer, and music publisher members. For more information: www.socan.com.

ABOUT FACTOR

The Foundation Assisting Canadian Talent on Recordings – FACTOR – is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to providing investment support toward the career development of Canadian artists, entrepreneurs, and organizations to produce and promote a diversity of Canadian music in a world of choice, be competitive at home and abroad, and to contribute to Canada’s creative economy. Funding for our programs is contributed by the Department of Canadian Heritage’s Canada Music Fund and from Canada’s private radio broadcasters.

ABOUT CBC/RADIO-CANADA

CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada’s national public broadcaster. Through our mandate to inform, enlighten and entertain, we play a central role in strengthening Canadian culture. As Canada’s trusted news source, we offer a uniquely Canadian perspective on news, current affairs and world affairs. Our distinctively homegrown entertainment programming draws audiences from across the country. Deeply rooted in communities, CBC/Radio-Canada offers diverse content in English, French and eight Indigenous languages: Dëne Sųłıné, Dene Kǝdǝ́, Dene Zhatıé, Eastern Cree, Dinjii Zhuʼ Ginjik, Inuktitut, Inuvialuktun and Tłı̨chǫ. We also deliver content in Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Punjabi and Tagalog, as well as both official languages, through Radio Canada International (RCI). We are leading the transformation to meet the needs of Canadians in a digital world.

ABOUT CBC MUSIC

CBC Music is the leading curator of emerging and diverse Canadian music talent across platforms, playing the most Canadian artists and genres on radio, CBC Listen and cbcmusic.ca. We prioritize Canadian artists in a wide variety of genres on over 200 playlists available on CBC Listen, and publish daily national music coverage. CBC Music Live features live music recordings from across the country. Our music partnerships and events include The JUNO Awards, the Polaris Music Prize, CBC Music Presents: Live at Massey Hall and The Canadian Music Class Challenge.

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