TORONTO - The Polaris Music Prize is upping the ante for Canadian artists with a richer grand prize and awards for shortlisted acts.
The annual prize is handed out to the Canadian artist or group that creates the best album of the year, as chosen by a jury of music critics and bloggers.
This year, the grand prize is being raised by $10,000 to $30,000.
And for the first time, the nine acts that make the short list but do not win will each get a consolation prize of $2,000.
The long list of 40 albums will be announced on June 16, the short list will be unveiled on July 6, and the winner will be crowned on Sept. 19.
The boost in grand prize money is coming from sponsor Sirius Satellite Radio Canada, while the short list prizes are being funded by Slaight Music.
Past Polaris winners include Final Fantasy, Patrick Watson, Caribou and Karkwa.
