Edmonton Music Prize 2017 Shortlist Announced

The shortlist for the 2017 Edmonton Music Prize has been determined. This is the fifth year that the prize has been offered, and it awards $12,000 in prize money to Edmonton-based musicians or musical collectives who have released a full-length recording in the past 18 months. The award is sponsored by the City of Edmonton through the Edmonton Arts Council and administered by Alberta Music.

Alberta Music assembled a jury of industry professionals, who reviewed the 28 nominations that were submitted and selected from among them a shortlist of 10 artists. In addition to the primary assessment of the musical component, the jury also considered how the artists had made a unique contribution or outstanding accomplishment in music within the eligibility period.

Here is this year’s shortlist, in alphabetical order:

100 Mile House
Dana Wylie
Dan Davidson
Farhad Khosravi
Jay Gilday
Nuela Charles
Royal Tusk
Slates
Striker
The Royal Foundry

“Two previous Edmonton Music Prize winners, Nuela Charles and Striker, appear in this year’s shortlist, along with some first-time nominees,” noted Alberta Music Executive Director, Carly Klassen. “This year’s shortlist reflects the diversity of Edmonton’s musical landscape and the range of musical talent across genres.”

“We’re always happy to partner with Alberta Music to celebrate and promote the broad array of musical talent in our city,” said Sanjay Shahani, Executive Director of the Edmonton Arts Council. “This year’s list is excitingly diverse – bringing together the best in local rock, folk, soul, country, metal and even Persian classical music. We can’t wait to see which of these deserving acts take the top three this year.”

The first place winner will take home $10,000, and two runner-up prizes of $1,000 each will be awarded. The three finalists will be announced in early January 2018, and the winners will be announced at a reception taking place later in January.