| 2020 Polaris Music Prize | |
|---|---|
| Date | October 19, 2020 |
| Country | Canada |
| Hosted by | Saroja Coelho |
| Winner | God Has Nothing to Do With This Leave Him Out of It (Backxwash) |
| Website | polarismusicprize |
The 2020 edition of the Canadian Polaris Music Prize was presented on October 19, 2020. The longlist was announced on June 15, 2020, with the shortlist following on July 15, 2020 and the winner announced on October 19, 2020. [1] [2] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the traditional winner's gala did not take place this year, and instead a special cinematic tribute to the shortlist was streamed online by CBC Music and CBC Gem, following which the winner was announced. [3]
The award was won by Backxwash for the album God Has Nothing to Do With This Leave Him Out of It. [4]
The livestreamed presentation received a Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Live Production for Social Media at the 9th Canadian Screen Awards. [5]
The shortlist was announced July 15, 2020 in a radio special on CBC Music hosted by Angeline Tetteh-Wayoe. [2] [3] Three of the shortlisted artists (Caribou, Kaytranada, and Lido Pimienta) have won a previous Polaris Music Prize, with two (Jessie Reyez and U.S. Girls) having previously been shortlisted. [3]
The longlist consists of 40 albums, chosen by a panel of 199 Canadian jurors. Eligible albums must have been released between June 1, 2019, and May 31, 2020, although albums from May 2019 were considered if they didn't make the 2019 longlist. [6]
Nominees for the Slaight Family Polaris Heritage Prize, an award to honour classic Canadian albums released before the creation of the Polaris Prize, were announced on October 22. [7] The winners of the public and jury votes were announced on November 16. [8]
Public: Beverly Glenn-Copeland, Keyboard Fantasies Jury: Main Source, Breaking Atoms Jury: Buffy Sainte-Marie, It's My Way! 
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. The award was established in 2006 with a $20,000 cash prize; the prize was increased to $30,000 for the 2011 award. In May 2015, the Polaris Music Prize was increased to $50,000, an additional $20,000, sponsored by Slaight Music. Additionally, second place prizes for the nine other acts on the Short List increased from $2,000 to $3,000. Polaris officials also announced The Slaight Family Polaris Heritage Prize, an award that "will annually honour five albums from the five decades before Polaris launched in 2006." Details about the selection process for this prize are still to be revealed.
The Prism Prize is a national juried award recognizing the artistry of the modern music video in Canada. A jury of over 120 Canadian music and film industry professionals, including members of the print and web media, broadcasting, film, radio, and video art communities, nominate the 10 best videos of the year to comprise the Prism Prize shortlist. The winning video receives a cash prize of $20,000. This is the richest cash prize for music videos in North America.
The 2016 edition of the Canadian Polaris Music Prize was presented on September 19, 2016 at The Carlu event theatre in Toronto, Ontario. The hosts of the gala were broadcasters Tom Power and Amanda Parris.
The 2017 edition of the Canadian Polaris Music Prize was presented on September 18, 2017.
Lido Pimienta is a Colombian Canadian musician, singer, and songwriter. She rose to prominence after her 2016 album, La Papessa, won the 2017 Polaris Music Prize. Her music incorporates a variety of styles and influences, including traditional indigenous and Afro-Colombian musical styles such as Cumbia and Bullerengue, as well as contemporary synthpop and electronic music.
Riit (ᕇᑦ) is the stage name of Rita Claire Mike-Murphy, a Canadian Inuk musician and television personality from Pangnirtung, Nunavut who is most noted as the host of APTN's children's series Anaana's Tent.
The 2019 edition of the Canadian Polaris Music Prize was presented on September 16, 2019. Haviah Mighty won the $50,000 dollar prize for her debut album 13th Floor, becoming the first Black woman and first hip hop artist to win the prize.
Before Love Came to Kill Us is the debut studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Jessie Reyez. It was released on March 27, 2020, by FMLY and Island Records. The record was prefaced with the singles "Figures", "Imported" with 6lack, and "Love in the Dark", and the promotional single "Ankles". A deluxe edition with three additional songs was made available digitally on April 9, 2020. A super deluxe edition of the album was released on September 25, 2020.
nêhiyawak are a Canadian First Nations indie rock group from Edmonton, Alberta. The band's name is derived from Nêhiyawak, an endonym for the Cree people. The band's debut album nipiy, released in 2019, was a Juno Award nominee for Indigenous Music Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2020, and was shortlisted for the 2020 Polaris Music Prize.
Etmet Musa, also known by her alias Ayo Leilani and her stage name Witch Prophet, is an Ethiopian/Eritrean musician based in Toronto, Ontario. As Witch Prophet, she has released 3 albums: The Golden Octave (2018), DNA Activation (2020), and Gateway Experience (2023). She co-founded and is the co-director of 88 Days of Fortune, a collective based in Toronto since 2009 that rebranded as Heart Lake Records in 2018. She also is a member of Above Top Secret, an electro-hip hop group. Above Top Secret has released three studio albums since 2010. DNA Activation was shortlisted for the 2020 Polaris Music Prize. In 2021, she released a new song "Leilani", which appeared on the deluxe edition of DNA Activation. The deluxe edition was released July 23, 2021. Her third album as Witch Prophet, entitled Gateway Experience, was released May 1st, 2023. The first single from the album, "Energy Vampire", was released on February 23, 2023 and featured DillanPonders. Gateway Experience was longlisted for the 2023 Polaris Music Prize.
Begonia is the stage name of Alexa Dirks, a Canadian pop singer-songwriter from Winnipeg, Manitoba. She is most noted for her 2019 album Fear, which was longlisted for the 2020 Polaris Music Prize and shortlisted for the Juno Award for Adult Alternative Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2021.
Status/Non-Status, formerly known as WHOOP-Szo, is a Canadian alternative rock band from Guelph, Ontario, led by Anishinaabe-Canadian singer-songwriter Adam Sturgeon. The band is most noted for its 2019 album Warrior Down, which was longlisted for the 2020 Polaris Music Prize.
Junia-T is the stage name of Jonathan Lindo, a Canadian rapper from Toronto, Ontario. He is most noted for his album Studio Monk, which was longlisted for the 2020 Polaris Music Prize.
OBUXUM is the stage name of Muxubo Mohamed, a Somalian-Canadian electronic music producer. She is most noted for her album Re-Birth, which was longlisted for the 2020 Polaris Music Prize.
Aquakultre is a Canadian soul and R&B musical project from Halifax, Nova Scotia, whose core member is singer and rapper Lance Sampson. They are most noted for their album Legacy, which was a longlisted nominee for the 2020 Polaris Music Prize.
Miss Colombia is the third studio album by Colombian–Canadian musician Lido Pimienta. It was released on April 17, 2020, through Anti Records. The album features collaborations with Li Saumet, vocalist of Bomba Estereo, as well as Rafael Cassiani Cassiani and Sexteto Tabala. The album was nominated for several awards, such as the Latin Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album, the Grammy Award for Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album, the Polaris Music Prize and the Juno Award for Recording Package of the Year.
nipiy is the debut album by Edmonton-based band nêhiyawak, released on October 24, 2019, on Arts & Crafts Productions. It was nominated for Indigenous Music Album of the Year at the 2020 Juno Awards, and shortlisted for the 2020 Polaris Music Prize.
The 2021 edition of the Canadian Polaris Music Prize was presented on September 27, 2021. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, the award was presented in a livestreamed virtual event hosted by Angeline Tetteh-Wayoe of CBC Music.
The 2022 edition of the Canadian Polaris Music Prize was presented on September 19, 2022. The longlist was announced on June 14, with the shortlist following on July 14.
The 2023 edition of the Canadian Polaris Music Prize was presented on September 19, 2023. The winner was electronic musician Debby Friday for her album Good Luck.