Voting for the 2021 Slaight Family Polaris Heritage Prize has opened.

Heritage Prize balloting was officially opened on Sept. 27 during the 2021 Polaris Music Prize Winner Celebration, where Cadence Weapon’s Parallel World album was awarded the 16th annual Polaris Music Prize.

The companion award to the Polaris Music Prize, winners and nominees for the Heritage Prize are also Canadian albums of artistic distinction, without regard to sales, genre or affiliation. This is our version of a hall of fame where we try to honour meritorious Canadian albums that pre-date when Polaris began in 2006.

This year there are 12 nominated albums up for consideration:

Lillian Allen - Revolutionary Tea Party
k.d. lang - Ingénue
Jean Leloup - Le Dôme
Corb Lund - Five Dollar Bill
Michie Mee and L.A. Luv - Jamaican Funk-Canadian Style
Joni Mitchell - Court and Spark
Jackie Mittoo - Wishbone
Faith Nolan - Africville
Nomeansno - Wrong
Stars - Set Yourself On Fire
Rufus Wainwright - Rufus Wainwright
Weakerthans - Left and Leaving

Two of these albums will receive Heritage Prize designation this year. One album will be chosen by public vote and a second will be determined by a Heritage Prize jury made up of music media and music historians.

This year’s Heritage list features five returning nominees (k.d. lang, Jean Leloup, Joni Mitchell, Jackie Mittoo, and Weakerthans) and seven first-time contenders (Lillian Allen, Corb Lund, Michie Mee and L.A. Luv, Faith Nolan, Nomeansno, Stars, and Rufus Wainwright).

Go HERE to vote.

Voters will be able to submit ballots once per day. Voting closes Monday, Oct. 18 at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. The new Heritage Prize designates will be revealed Tuesday, Oct. 26.

Heritage Prize winners are commemorated with limited-edition artwork commissioned and inspired by the music on these designated albums. Examples of past winners’ works, including those honouring the likes of last year’s winners Buffy Sainte-Marie, Main Source and Beverly Glenn-Copeland can be found HERE.