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The Polaris Music Prize is a not-for-profit registered charity that annually honours and rewards artists who produce Canadian music albums of distinction. A select panel of music critics judge and award the Prize without regard to musical genre or commercial popularity. Polaris Music Prize hosts a series of signature events annually to announce and celebrate the nomination process and winners.

This application is for the “Polaris Project Expansion” celebrating Polaris Music Prize’s 20th anniversary from May to November, 2025. Polaris will launch a series of new and expanded programs and events, that will be hosted in various iconic Ontario venues, including Massey Hall, Sonic Boom Records, and partnering community spaces across Toronto, Guelph, Hamilton, Ottawa, and Sudbury. Programming will include:

(1) the launch of the “Polaris Song Prize”, which will engage a market of over 200,000 artists who produce singles rather than full albums;

(2) “Polaris Salons”, a new in-person event series that will bring together industry leaders, artists, and music enthusiasts for a day of discussions and collaborative workshops led by key music figures in the Polaris Jury, such as Michael Barclay, author of the bestseller The Never-Ending Present: The Story of Gord Downie and The Tragically Hip, and Grammy Award-winning musical historian Rob Bowman;

(3) “Listening Sessions”, a new event series where hosts, curators, or DJs (selected among Polaris’ list of jurors, previous Polaris-nominated artists, and over 40 community partners) will present a curated selection of music, at venues selected in collaboration with Polaris's Ontario-based community partners;

(4) “Polaris Concert Series”, a first in 2025, this series will be curated from Polaris' over 700 previous Canadian nominees by jurors, previous nominees, and community stakeholders; and

(5) sustained activities from past years (i) Polaris Gala & Award Ceremony at Massey Hall; (ii) Polaris Long List Announcement Event; (iii) Polaris Short List Announcement Event (new event format with concert); and the Gala Afterparty.