CBC presents the 2025 Polaris Music Prize has revealed the five-nominee Short List for its first-ever SOCAN Polaris Song Prize.
Polaris, celebrating its 20th anniversary, and SOCAN, celebrating its 100th anniversary, recently announced the new Song Prize where the winning song takes home $10,000 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 will honour the Canadian song of the year, based on artistic merit, without regard to musical genre or commercial popularity.
The 2025 SOCAN Polaris Song Prize Short List is:
- Lou-Adriane Cassidy — “Dis-moi dis-moi dis-moi,” written by Lou-Adriane Cassidy and Alexandre Martel
- Saya Gray — “SHELL (OF A MAN),” written by Saya Gray and John Mavro
- Yves Jarvis — “Gold Filagree,” written by Yves Jarvis
- Mustafa — “Gaza is Calling,” written by Mustafa Ahmed, Emmanuel Hailemariam, Simon Hessman, Nicolas Jaar
- Ribbon Skirt — “Wrong Planet,” written by Tashiina Buswa and Billy Riley
“Sometimes, a song is so powerful it stands on its own and demands to be heard, and the SOCAN Polaris Song Prize Short List honours five such unforgettable Canadian songs,” said Jennifer Brown, SOCAN CEO. “SOCAN is proud to have a partner in Polaris that understands that to truly honour a song, you must celebrate its full story — the songwriters and the craft — in addition to the voices who bring it to life.”
The SOCAN Polaris Song Prize category is Polaris’ first new award since it introduced the hall of fame Heritage Prize in 2015. An initial 20-nominee Song Long List was released on June 24 before the Polaris jury narrowed the list down to its finalists.
The winning Polaris song will be revealed during the Polaris Concert & Award Ceremony, powered by FACTOR, taking place at Toronto’s Massey Hall on Tuesday, September 16. Tickets to the Polaris Concert & Award Ceremony are on sale now via the Massey Hall website. To celebrate the Song Prize Short List, Polaris is offering 15% off tickets with the code POLARIS15.
With Canadian musicians releasing an increasing number of singles annually, an award in this segment provides more artists and songwriters with 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 launch of the Song Prize is part of an extensive suite of exciting programming changes announced for the organization’s 20th season. Keeping with tradition, Polaris will award $30,000 courtesy of the Slaight Family Foundation to the artist who creates the Canadian Album of the Year, judged solely on artistic merit, without consideration for genre or record sales. In September, Polaris will debut its first month-long Polaris Festival presented by SiriusXM Canada, featuring new programming like Salons, Listening Parties, Poster Exhibits, and Concerts, all culminating in the annual Concert & Award Ceremony. The aim is to spotlight as many of our 600+ past nominees as possible while reaching new audiences through expanded programming and diverse venues. More details on these events will be shared in the coming weeks.
Additionally, the Slaight Family Polaris Heritage Prize, the organization’s hall of fame for Canadian albums of distinction from the past, will be launched on August 5 and run throughout August. The hybrid critics prize/public vote campaign will feature 12 exceptional nominees in contention for Heritage designation.