The Polaris Prize is Canada's first juried award for creative artistic achievement in recorded music. An independent jury of 180 people judge the best Canadian album in the preceding 12 months. The ultimate winner is judged on quality of music rather than album sales. A couple of days ago a long list of 40 albums was released. On July 7 this list will be shortened to 10, with the winner announced at a gala evening in September, where a prize of $20,000 awaits.

Past Winners
2006 He Poos Clouds-Final Fantasy
2007 Close To Paradise-Patrick Watson
2008 Andorra-Caribou (pictured above)

2009 Long List
Jackson Square-Arkells
Chances-Jill Barber
Beast-Beast
As Seen Through Windows-Belle Orchestre
Quiet Earth-Bison B.C.
A Mountain Is A Mouth-Bruce Peninsula
Coeur De Pirate-Coeur De Pirate
Live In London-Leonard Cohen
Let The Children Die-D-Sisive
The Seven Seas-Elephant Stone
Mountain Meadows-Elliott Brood
The Chemistry Of Common Life-Fucked Up
Lost Channels-Great Lake Swimmers
Face Control-Handsome Furs
An Imaginary Country-Tim Hecker
Into Your Lungs-Hey Rosetta!
Post-Nothing-Japandroids
Begone Dull Care-Junior Boys
Yes!-K-OS
Troubador-K'NAAN
La Patere Rose-La Patere Rose
Some Are Lakes-Land Of Talk
Lhasa-Lhasa
Labyrinthes-Malajube
Fantasies-Metric
Forest Of Tears-One Hundred Dollars
Outside Love-Pink Mountaintops
Three-Joel Plaskett
Lies On The Prize-Snailhouse
The Happiness Project-Charles Spearin
Superioryouareinferior-Rae Spoon
Oceans Will Rise-The Stills
Family-Think About Life
Timbre Timbre-Timbre Timbre
Soft Airplane-Chad VanGaalen
I Know You're Married But I've Got Feelings Too-Martha Wainwright
Wooden Arms-Patrick Watson
At Mount Zoomer-Wolf Parade
Women-Women
Treasury Library Canada C/W Houndstooth Europa-Woodpigeon

Now, quite a lot of these albums I am not familiar with at all. I figured out that I own 10 of these albums. Of those I would naturally like to see Wolf Parade win. What else? But as albums by Sunset Rubdown and Arcade Fire have been over looked in the past I am going for something else as the winning entry. I predict Chad VanGaalen to take out the prize in 2009.