The 2025 edition of the Canadian Polaris Music Prize was presented on September 16, 2025 at Massey Hall.Kerry Doole, "Polaris Music Prize Announces 40-Album 2025 Long List, Announces SOCAN Polaris Song Prize". Billboard, June 10, 2025.
The prize for the winning album was reduced to $30,000, rather than the $50,000 awarded to recent winners, but was supplemented with a new $10,000 SOCAN Polaris Song Prize to honour individual songs.Allie Gregory, "Polaris Music Prize Unveils 2025 Long List, Announces Song Prize". Exclaim!, June 10, 2025. This new award replaces the SOCAN Songwriting Prize, which has been dormant since 2023.Howard Druckman, "Polaris Music Prize announces 2025 Long List". Words & Music, June 11, 2025.
The prize committee also launched the Polaris Festival, a series of concerts highlighting past and present Polaris nominees in a variety of locations across Canada. At the ceremony, they additionally announced a new platform to improve opportunities for emerging musicians to submit their music for Polaris consideration.
The album prize was won by Yves Jarvis for All Cylinders, with the song prize won by Mustafa for "Gaza Is Calling".
Albums Shortlist The shortlist for albums was announced on July 10.
Yves Jarvis, All Cylinders Bibi Club, Feu de garde Lou-Adriane Cassidy, Journal d’un Loup-Garou Marie Davidson, City of Clowns Saya Gray, Saya Mustafa, Dunya Nemahsis, Verbathim The OBGMs, Sorry, It's Over Population II, Maintenant Jamais Ribbon Skirt, Bite Down
Longlist The longlist for albums was announced on June 10.
Art d'Ecco, Serene Demon Backxwash, Only Dust Remains Quinton Barnes, Code Noir Basia Bulat, Basia's Palace Caribou, Honey Choses Sauvages, Choses Sauvages III Cold Specks, Light for the Midnight Antoine Corriveau, Oiseau de Nuit Destroyer, Dan's Boogie Myriam Gendron, Mayday Gloin, all of your anger is actually shame (and I bet that makes you angry) Hildegard (Ouri and Helena Deland), Jour 1596 Kaia Kater, Strange Medicine Bells Larsen, Blurring Time Richard Laviolette, All Wild Things Are Shy Wyatt C. Louis, Chandler Kelly McMichael, After the Sting of It Men I Trust, Equus Asinus N Nao, Nouveau langage Eliza Niemi, Progress Bakery Dorothea Paas, Think of Mist Klô Pelgag, Abracadabra Ariane Roy, Dogue Mike Shabb, Sewaside III Sister Ray, Believer Snotty Nose Rez Kids, Red Future The Weather Station, Humanhood Rick White and The Sadies, Rick White and The Sadies Donovan Woods, Things Were Never Good If They're Not Good Now Yoo Doo Right, From the Heights of Our Pastureland
Songs Shortlist The shortlist for songs was announced on July 29."Here's the inaugural 2025 Polaris Song Prize short list". CBC Music, July 29, 2025.
Mustafa, "Gaza Is Calling" Lou-Adriane Cassidy, "Dis-moi dis-moi dis-moi" Saya Gray, "Shell (Of a Man)" Yves Jarvis, "Gold Filigree" Ribbon Skirt, "Wrong Planet"
Longlist The longlist for songs was announced on June 24.Allie Gregory, "Here's the 2025 SOCAN Polaris Song Prize Long List". Exclaim!, June 24, 2025.
Art d'Ecco, "The Traveller" Backxwash, "History of Violence" Backxwash, "9th Heaven" Caribou, "Honey" Lou-Adriane Cassidy, "Dis-moi dis-moi dis-moi" Marie Davidson, "Fun Times" Saya Gray, "Shell (Of a Man)" Yves Jarvis, "Gold Filigree" Kaytranada and Lou Phelps, "Call U Up" Richard Laviolette, "Constant Love" Mustafa, "Gaza Is Calling" The OBGMs, "Changes" (feat. SATE) Klô Pelgag, "Le goût des mangues" Propagandhi, "At Peace" Reuben and the Bullhorn Singers, "Powerful" Ribbon Skirt, "Wrong Planet" Snotty Nose Rez Kids, "FREE" (feat. Aysanabee, Drezus, Rueben George) Colin Stetson, "The love it took to leave you" The Weather Station, "Neon Signs" Rick White and the Sadies, "Fly Away"
Polaris Heritage Prize Unlike in prior years, when the nominees for the Polaris Heritage Prize were announced at the Polaris gala with the winner announced approximately two to three weeks later, in 2025 for the first time the nominees were revealed in August,Jen Zoratti, "Winnipeg’s Propagandhi in running for Slaight Family Polaris Heritage Prize". Winnipeg Free Press, August 8, 2025. and the winners were announced at the same ceremony as the album and song prizes.Natalie Harmsen, "Yves Jarvis wins the 2025 Polaris Music Prize". CBC Music, September 16, 2025.
Public Prize: The Organ, Grab That Gun Jury Prize: Jane Siberry, The Speckless Sky Choclair, Ice Cold Constantines, Constantines Franck Dervieux, Dimension M Do Make Say Think, Goodbye Enemy Airship the Landlord Is Dead Doughboys, Crush Dubmatique, La force de comprendre Mort Garson, Mother Earth's Plantasia Propagandhi, Today's Empires, Tomorrow's Ashes Rascalz, Cash Crop Strawberry, Brokeheart Audio
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