Last year, as part of the Polaris Prize’s 20th and SOCAN’s 100th anniversaries, the Song Prize was launched as a way to honour the Canadian song of the year. The selected song is based on merit, without regard to musical genre or commercial popularity.
Of the 20 finalists for the prize this year, five were selected for the shortlist.
The 2026 SOCAN Polaris Song Prize Short List is:
1. “Fabienk” – Angine de Poitrine
Writers
Khn de Poitrine
Klek de Poitrine
Publishing: Third Side Music
2. “Hurts Like Hell”- Charlotte Cornfield
Writer
Charlotte Cornfield
Publishing: Terrorbird Publishing, LLC)
3. “HungerFor Death” – PUP
Writers:
Stefan Babcock
Nestor Chumak
Zack Mykula
Steve Sladkowski
Publishing: Warner Chappell Music Canada Ltd.
4. “House on Fire”- Patrick Watson & Martha Wainwright
Writers:
Martha Wainwright
Patrick Watson
Olivier Sebastien Fairfield
Mikhail Stein
Xu Bin Kim
Xavier Brault
Jeremie Cloutier
Robert Margaryan
Publishing: Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd. Canada, Secret City Publishing Inc
5. “Lean”- Charlotte Day Wilson, Saya Gray
Writers:
Charlotte Day Wilson
Saya Gray
Siala Kemy
Jack Emblem
Publishing: Covertly Canadian Publishing, SC Publishing Inc, Sony-ATV Tunes LLC, Sony-ATV Tunes
The $10,000 award is split between the song’s Canadian performers and the song’s credited Canadian songwriter(s). This year’s winning song will be revealed during the Polaris Prize ceremony and concert at Toronto’s Massey Hall on September 22, 2026.