The Polaris Music Prize has unveiled its 10-nominee album short list for 2026.
After announcing the 40-album long list at this year’s NXNE, the short list was voted on by a 205-person voting pool of music critics, journalists, academics, broadcasters and curators. The albums are based solely on artistic merit, without consideration for genre or record sales.
Related
Powered by FACTOR, the winner of the Polaris Music Prize will receive $30,000, revealed at the concert and award ceremony at Massey Hall on Sept. 22 — the fourth year that Polaris has taken over the iconic Toronto venue.
Here is this year’s short list:
