Polaris Music Prize

The Polaris Music Prize is a music award annually given to the best full-length Canadian album based on artistic merit, regardless of genre, sales, or record label. Established in 2006, the event was first sponsored by Slaight Music in 2011, when a cash award of $2000 for all nominated artists was added to the prize pool. In 2015, Slaight increased its support with an additional $20,000 commitment that saw the grand prize increase from $30,000 to $50,000.  The award is also sponsored by Sirius XM, the Government of Canada, FACTOR, Radio Starmaker Fund, SOCAN, Stingray Music and The Carlu among others. The Polaris Music Prize gala is broadcast live via Sirius XM, and video streamed live on YouTube via the CBC Music channel.

The 2025 edition of the Canadian Polaris Music Prize will be presented on September 16, 2025 at Massey Hall. The prize for the winning album will be reduced to $30,000, rather than the $50,000 awarded to recent winners, but will be supplemented with a new $10,000 SOCAN Polaris Song Prize to honour individual songs.

Slaight Music is also proud to support the Slaight Family Polaris Heritage Prize. You can read more about that initiative here.