The 2025 Polaris Music Prize has revealed the five-nominee Short List for its first-ever SOCAN Polaris Song Prize.
The 2025 SOCAN Polaris Song Prize Short List is:
- Lou-Adriane Cassidy – “Dis-moi dis-moi dis-moi,” written by Lou-Adriane Cassidy and Alexandre Martel
- Saya Gray – “SHELL (OF A MAN),” written by Saya Gray and John Mavro
- Yves Jarvis – “Gold Filigree,” written by Yves Jarvis
- Mustafa – “Gaza is Calling,” written by Mustafa Ahmed, Emmanuel Hailemariam, Simon Hessman, and Nicolas Jaar
- Ribbon Skirt – “Wrong Planet,” written by Tashiina Buswa and Billy Riley
Polaris, celebrating its 20th Anniversary, and SOCAN, celebrating its 100th Anniversary, recently announced the new Song Prize, where the winning song takes home $10,000, split between the song’s Canadian performer(s) and the song’s credited Canadian songwriter(s). Similar to the Polaris Album Prize, the SOCAN Polaris Song Prize will honour the Canadian song of the year, based on artistic merit, without regard to musical genre or commercial popularity.
“Sometimes, a song is so powerful it stands on its own and demands to be heard, and the SOCAN Polaris Song Prize Short List honours five such unforgettable Canadian songs,” said Jennifer Brown, SOCAN CEO. “SOCAN is proud to have a partner in Polaris that understands that to truly honour a song, you must celebrate its full story – the songwriters and the craft – in addition to the voices who bring it to life.”
The SOCAN Polaris Song Prize category is Polaris’ first new award since it introduced the hall of fame Heritage Prize in 2015. An initial 20-nominee Song Long List was released on June 24, 2025, before the Polaris jury narrowed it down to the finalists. The winning song will be revealed during the Polaris Concert & Award Ceremony, taking place at Toronto’s Massey Hall on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025. Tickets to the Polaris Concert & Award Ceremony are on sale now via the Massey Hall website. To celebrate the Song Prize Short List, Polaris is offering 15% off tickets with the code POLARIS15.
With Canadian musicians releasing an increasing number of singles annually, an award in this segment provides more artists and songwriters with opportunities to be acknowledged and supported by SOCAN, Polaris, their partners, and the industry. SOCAN and Polaris aim to ensure these outstanding works receive the recognition they deserve, as we strengthen our collective mission to celebrate and elevate the diversity and creativity of Canadian music.