TORONTO, ON – Monday, October 24, 2016.
The Polaris Music Prize, produced by Blue Ant Media, announced the winning albums for the 2016 Slaight Family Polaris Heritage Prize today. The short lists, designated by four distinct musical eras, were curated by expert panels of Canadian music media and historians. Two winners for each era were chosen – one by specific pools of jurors, and the other by a public vote, which opened at the Polaris Music Prize Gala on September 19, 2016 and ended on October 17.
The winners of the 2016 Slaight Family Polaris Heritage Prize are:
1960-1975
Public: Neil Young – After The Gold Rush
Jury: Leonard Cohen – Songs Of Leonard Cohen
1976 – 1985
Public: Rush – Moving Pictures
Jury: Kate & Anna McGarrigle – Kate & Anna McGarrigle
1986-1995
Public: Blue Rodeo – Five Days In July
Jury: Mary Margaret O’Hara – Miss America
1996-2005
Public: Arcade Fire – Funeral
Jury: Lhasa – La Llorona
Gary Slaight, President and CEO of Slaight Communications, commended the winners, saying,“Congratulations to all the artists on the 2016 Polaris Prize. I appreciate all the hard work and dedication that goes into creating these memorable recordings and am pleased to celebrate your achievement in receiving this recognition.”
Gilbert Li, who curated the 2016 Polaris Music Prize posters, and the posters for the 2015 Heritage Prize, will return to select eight new artists to pay tribute to the winning records. Theeight records that did not get selected as winners will remain on the short lists for the 2017 Slaight Family Polaris Heritage Prize. Two more records from the period, selected by the jury,will then be added. Had the jury and public picks for the winning record been the same, the next choice on the jury’s list would have been selected. This did not happen for the 2016 Prize.
Four changes were made for the Heritage Prize’s second year. 1) The four eras have been altered. They were: 1960s & 70s, the 1980s, the 1990s and the 00s (2000-05). They are now: 1960-1975, 1976-1985, 1986-1995 and 1996-2005. 2) The nominees for all eras were determined last year by a pool of 25 jurors. This year, each era has a specific pool of jurors. 3) Each era will have two winners; one selected by the public and one selected by the jury pool. 4) The Short Lists have been increased from five to 10 titles.
This jury selected records in these periods in accordance with current Polaris selections; records of the highest artistic quality without regards to sales or affiliations. The programming team at Roy Thomson / Massey Hall will produce a tribute concert to the four winning albums of the Slaight Family Heritage Prize winners in 2017. Winners will receive a special trophy at the tribute show. Commemorative prints of each winning album will also be made available for purchase to the public.
We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage (Canada Music Fund) and of Canada’s Private Radio Broadcasters.
We acknowledge the OMDC for their continued support of the Polaris Music Prize.
About the Polaris Music Prize
Polaris Music Prize, produced by Blue Ant Media, is a not-for-profit organization 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.
About Slaight Music
Slaight Music was started in 2011 with a mandate to support the Canadian Music community through a variety of initiatives, and to develop Canadian talent via strategic partnerships with industry peers.
About Blue Ant Media
Blue Ant Media is a privately held international media company that owns and operates 10 media brands including Cottage Life, Love Nature, Smithsonian Channel Canada and Makeful. Blue Ant Media creates and distributes content worldwide ranging from nature to DIY, outdoor living to music, engaging fans across television, digital, magazines and live events. The company also owns Omnia Media, a YouTube network and Choice TV, a broadcast channel in New Zealand. Blue Ant Media is based in Toronto and has offices in Los Angeles, London (UK) and Auckland. Blueantmedia.ca
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