The Polaris Music Prize 2012 Long List will be announced on the other side of the country, for the first time, in Vancouver on June 14.
Previously held in Toronto, the 40 titles up for the best album honor, will be revealed in front of the local media and industry at the Waldorf Hotel. The short list nominees will be announced back in Toronto July 17 at the Drake Hotel.
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The gala, at which the winner is determined during a closed-door debate as the short-listers are acknowledged and perform, is September 24 at Toronto’s Masonic Temple. It will be broadcast on MuchMusic and CBC Radio 3.
The lists are determined by an independent jury of more than 200 music journalists, broadcasters and music bloggers from across Canada. Eleven people are selected from this jury pool to serve on the grand jury the night of the gala.
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The artist declared to have the Canadian Album of the Year is awarded $30,000. Albums are judged solely on artistic merit, without consideration of genre or record sales. Past winners have been Arcade Fire, Karkwa, Fucked Up, Patrick Watson, Caribou and Final Fantasy.
The eligibility period for the 2012 Polaris Music Prize runs from June 1, 2011 to May 31, 2012.