The Prism Prize is a national juried award recognizing the artistry of the modern

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

."Prism Prize reveals its shortlist for best Canadian music video"
. ''

The Grid The Grid is an English electronic dance group, consisting of David Ball (formerly of Soft Cell) and Richard Norris, with guest contributions from other musicians. They are best known for the hits "Swamp Thing", "Texas Cowboys", "Crystal Cle ...

'', February 15, 2013. A jury of over 120 Canadian music and film industry professionals, including members of the print and web media, broadcasting, film, radio, and video art communities, nominate the 10 best videos of the year to comprise the Prism Prize shortlist. The winning video receives a cash prize of $15,000. This is the richest cash prize for music videos in North America. Founded in 2012,"Inaugural Prism Prize to award best Canadian music video of 2012"
''BlogTO'', September 29, 2012. the award is administered by the

Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television is a Canadian non-profit organization created in 1979 to recognize the achievements of the over 4,000 Canadian film industry and television industry professionals, most notably through the Canadian Scre ...

. The inaugural Prism Prize was awarded in March 2013 to director Noah Pink for

Rich Aucoin Rich Aucoin is a Canadians, Canadian musician, based in Halifax Regional Municipality, Halifax, Nova Scotia.Arcade Fire Arcade Fire is a Canadian indie rock band, consisting of husband and wife Win Butler and Régine Chassagne, alongside Richard Reed Parry, Tim Kingsbury and Jeremy Gara. The band's current touring line-up also includes former core member S ...

’s "Sprawl II"."Rich Aucoin Wins First-Ever Prism Prize"
''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...

'', March 24, 2013. For the second award presentation in 2014, the Prism Prize introduced two new awards, the Special Achievement Award for artistic achievements and exceptional contribution to music video art on a world stage, and the Arthur Lipsett Award for innovative and unique approaches to music video art. The 2014 Prism Prize was presented on March 23, 2014 to director

Emily Kai Bock Emily Kai Bock (born 1983 or 1984) is a Canadian writer and film director. In 2017, her short film '' A Funeral for Lightning'' was included in TIFF's annual Canada's Top Ten list of the top 10 Canadian short films of the year, selected by a pane ...

for her Arcade Fire "Afterlife" video. The Audience Award went to director Kheaven Lewandowski for his video for "River" by The Belle Game. The Arthur Lipsett Award was presented to Scott Cudmore and

Michael LeBlanc Michael LeBlanc, (born February 25, 1987) is a Canadian track athlete specializing in the 100 metres. LeBlanc specializes in the 100m and 200m for outdoor, and the 60m for indoor. He set his personal best in the 100m in Sacramento, California, i ...

for their innovative video work. The Special Achievement Award went to

Floria Sigismondi Floria Sigismondi (, born 1965) is an Italian-Canadian film director, screenwriter, music video director, artist, and photographer. She is best known for writing and directing '' The Runaways'', for directing music videos for performers includi ...

. In 2020 the committee introduced the Willie Dunn Award, a lifetime achievement award honouring Canadians who have been trailblazers in the art of music video."2020 Prism Prize Special Award Winners Announced"
''FYI Music News'', July 22, 2020. The award was named in memory of

Willie Dunn Willy or Willie is a masculine, male given name, often a diminutive form of William or Wilhelm, and occasionally a nickname. It may refer to: People Given name or nickname * Willie Aames (born 1960), American actor, television director, and scree ...

, an indigenous Canadian musician whose 1968 animated short film ''

The Ballad of Crowfoot Crowfoot (1830 – 25 April 1890) or Isapo-Muxika ( bla, Issapóómahksika, italics=yes; syllabics: ) was a chief of the Siksika First Nation. His parents, (Packs a Knife) and (Attacked Towards Home), were Kainai. He was five years old when ...

'' has sometimes been credited as the first Canadian music video.

Winners and nominees

2013

Nominees were announced on February 14, 2013, and the winners were announced on March 24. * Prism Prize:

- " Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)" (director Vincent Morisset) *

Drake Drake may refer to: Animals * A male duck People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name * Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * ...

- "

HYFR (Hell Ya Fucking Right) "HYFR (Hell Ya Fucking Right)", also known as just "HYFR", is a song by Canadian rapper Drake from his second studio album '' Take Care'' (2011). The song features Lil Wayne and was released as the album's sixth official single. It was released to ...

" (director

Director X Julien Christian Lutz (born October 31, 1975), known professionally as Director X, is a Canadian filmmaker, commercial director, music video director, and television director. Having directed more than 100 music videos, he is widely known as a pr ...

) *

Grimes Claire Elise Boucher (; born March 17, 1988), known professionally as Grimes, is a Canadian musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. Her early work has been described as extending from "lo-fi R&B" to futuristic dance-pop, and has in ...

- "Genesis" (director Claire Boucher) *Grimes - "Oblivion" (director

) *

METZ Metz ( , , lat, Divodurum Mediomatricorum, then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Metz is the prefecture of the Moselle department and the seat of the parliament of the Grand E ...

- "Wet Blanket" (director Scott Cudmore) *

Mother Mother Mother Mother is a Canadian indie rock band based in Quadra Island, British Columbia. The band consists of Ryan Guldemond on guitar and vocals, Molly Guldemond and Jasmin Parkin on vocals and keyboard, Ali Siadat on drums, and Mike Young on ba ...

- "The Sticks" (director

Chad VanGaalen Chad VanGaalen (born 1977) is a Canadian musician and artist from Calgary, Alberta. Career ''Infiniheart'' Following a few scattered independent releases, done mostly on homemade CDs with hand-drawn art, VanGaalen released ''Infiniheart'' (2004 ...

) *

Maylee Todd Maylee Todd is a Canadian independent musician, performance artist and producer based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Todd released her first solo album, ''Choose Your Own Adventure,'' in 2010, and her second record, ''Escapology,'' in 2013. Both w ...

- "Baby's Got It" (director Reynard Li) *

Yamantaka // Sonic Titan Yamantaka // Sonic Titan is a Canadian experimental music and performance art collective.

- "Hoshi Neko" (directors Emily Pelstring and Ruby Kato Attwood) * Young Rival - "Two Reasons" (director John Smith)

2014

Nominees were announced on February 18, 2014, "Prism Prize short list features Shad, Drake and a double dose of Arcade Fire"

CBC Music CBC Music (formerly known as CBC FM, CBC Stereo and CBC Radio 2) is a Canadian FM radio network operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It used to concentrate on classical and jazz. In 2007 and 2008, the network transitioned towards a ...

, February 18, 2014. and the winners were announced on March 23. * Prism Prize:

Arcade Fire Arcade Fire is a Canadian indie rock band, consisting of husband and wife Win Butler and Régine Chassagne, alongside Richard Reed Parry, Tim Kingsbury and Jeremy Gara. The band's current touring line-up also includes former core member S ...

- "

Afterlife The afterlife (also referred to as life after death) is a purported existence in which the essential part of an individual's identity or their stream of consciousness continues to live after the death of their physical body. The surviving ess ...

" (director

) * Audience Award:

The Belle Game The Belle Game, aka Belle Game, was an indie pop band originating from Vancouver, British Columbia and active from 2009 to 2020. Its members were Adam Nanji (guitar), Andrea Lo (lead vocals), and Katrina Jones (keyboards, vocals). Drummer Rob Chur ...

– "River" (director Kheaven Lewandowski) *Arcade Fire – "

Reflektor ''Reflektor'' is the fourth studio album by Canadian indie rock band Arcade Fire, released on October 28, 2013, through Sonovox Records internationally and Merge Records in the United States. A double album, it was recorded between 2011 and 2 ...

" (director

Anton Corbijn Anton Johannes Gerrit Corbijn van Willenswaard (; born 20 May 1955) is a Dutch photographer, film director and music video director. He is the creative director behind the visual output of Depeche Mode and U2,Pitman, Joanna"The silent partner"' ...

) *

– " Started from the Bottom" (director

) *

Hollerado Hollerado was a Canadian indie rock band from Ottawa, Ontario. Formed in 2007, the band consisted of Menno Versteeg (lead vocals, guitar), Nixon Boyd (lead guitar, backing vocals), Dean Baxter (bass, backing vocals) and Jake Boyd (drums, backing vo ...

– "So It Goes" (director Marc Ricciardelli) *

Keys N Krates Keys N Krates is a Canadian electronic music band formed in 2008 out of Toronto, Ontario. The group consists of drummer Adam Tune, keyboardist David Matisse and turntablist Jr. Flo (Greg Dawson). The band started as a live hip-hop act reliant o ...

– "Dum Dee Dum" (director Amos LeBlanc) * Jessy Lanza – "Kathy Lee" (director Lee Skinner) *

Majical Cloudz Majical Cloudz was a Canadian music group from Montreal consisting of singer-songwriter Devon Welsh and Matt Otto. The group disbanded in March 2016. History Welsh, the son of actor Kenneth Welsh and Corinne Farago,Shad The Alosinae, or the shads,Alosinae

– "Fam Jam (Fe Sum Immigrins)" (director Che Kothari) *

Young Galaxy Young Galaxy is a Canadian indie pop/dream pop band formed in 2005 in Vancouver, whose members are husband and wife, Stephen Ramsay and Catherine McCandless. History Young Galaxy formed in Vancouver as a duo including Stephen Ramsay and Catherine ...

– "New Summer" (director

Ivan Grbovic Ivan Grbovic (born 1979 in Montreal, Quebec) is a Canadians, Canadian cinematographer, film director and screenwriter, most noted for his film ''Drunken Birds (Les oiseaux ivres)''. The film was the top winner at the 24th Quebec Cinema Awards in 20 ...

)

2015

Nominees were announced on February 12, 2015,"Prism Prize announces Top 10 best Canadian music videos of 2014"
''

Vancouver Sun The ''Vancouver Sun'', also known as the ''Sun'', is a daily broadsheet newspaper based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The newspaper is currently published by the Pacific Newspaper Group, a division of Postmedia Network. Published s ...

'', February 12, 2015. and the winners were announced on March 29."Chad VanGaalen Wins 2015 Prism Prize for Timber Timbre Video"
''

'', March 29, 2015. * Prism Prize:

Timber Timbre Timber Timbre is a Canadian music group, featuring Taylor Kirk. The moniker refers to an early series of recordings made in a timber-framed cabin set in the wooded outskirts of Bobcaygeon, Ontario. History Timber Timbre released two albums indep ...

, "Beat the Drum Slowly" (director

) * Audience Award: Kandle, "Not Up to Me" (director Natalie Rae Robison) *

The New Pornographers The New Pornographers are a Canadian indie rock band, formed in 1997 in Vancouver. Presented as a musical collective of singer-songwriters and musicians from multiple projects, the band has released eight studio albums to critical acclaim for th ...

, "Dancehall Domine" (directors Scott Cudmore and Michael LeBlanc) * PUP, "Guilt Trip" (directors

Chandler Levack Chandler Levack is a Canadian writer and filmmaker. She is a two-time Juno Award nominee for Video of the Year, receiving nominations alongside Jeremy Schaulin-Rioux at the Juno Awards of 2015 for directing PUP's "Guilt Trip" music video, and at ...

and Jeremy Schaulin-Rioux) *

Fur Trade The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of a world fur market in the early modern period, furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the mos ...

, "Same Temptation" (director Kheaven Lewandowski) *

Rich Aucoin Rich Aucoin is a Canadians, Canadian musician, based in Halifax Regional Municipality, Halifax, Nova Scotia.Ryan Hemsworth Ryan Hemsworth (born 23 April 1990) is a Canadian record producer and DJ. He specialises in electronic music and sampling. He has produced tracks for Tinashe, Tory Lanez, Mitski, and E-40. Biography Raised in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Hemsworth a ...

, "Snow in Newark" (director Martin C. Pariseau) *

Kevin Drew Kevin Drew (born September 9, 1976) is a Canadian musician and songwriter who, together with Brendan Canning, founded the expansive Toronto baroque-pop collective Broken Social Scene. He was also part of the lesser-known KC Accidental, which con ...

, "You in Your Were" (director

Samir Rehem Samir Rehem is a Canadian film and television director.Greg Furminger, "Fonthill native behind top 10 music video". '' Welland Tribune'', March 28, 2015. He is most noted for his 2007 short film '' The Answer Key'', which was a Genie Award nominee ...

) * Odonis Odonis, "Order in the Court" (director Lee Stringle) *

, "Monster" (director Chad VanGaalen)

2016

Beginning in 2016, the prize revised its process. A longlist of 20 nominees was announced on February 9, 2016,"Prism Prize Announces Top 20 Finalists for 2016"
''

'', February 9, 2016. a shortlist of 10 finalists was announced on March 22, and the winner was named on May 15.

Shortlist

* Prism Prize:

Kalle Mattson Kalle Mattson (born Kalle Mattson Wainio, September 21, 1990, in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario) is a Canadian singer-songwriter based in Ottawa, Ontario. He has performed both as a solo artist and as the leader of an eponymous band. History Wainio ...

, "Avalanche" (director Philip Sportel) * Audience Award:

Death From Above 1979 Death from Above 1979 (also known as Death from Above) is a Canadian rock duo consisting of bassist Jesse F. Keeler and drummer and vocalist Sebastien Grainger from Toronto, Ontario, formed in 2001. The band released their debut album, '' You're ...

, "Virgins" (director Eva Michon) * A Tribe Called Red, "Suplex" (director Jon Riera) *

Braids A braid (also referred to as a plait) is a complex structure or pattern formed by interlacing two or more strands of flexible material such as textile yarns, wire, or hair. The simplest and most common version is a flat, solid, three-strande ...

, "Miniskirt" (director Kevan Funk) *

, "

Hotline Bling "Hotline Bling" is a song recorded by Canadian rapper Drake, which serves as the lead single from his fourth studio album ''Views'' (2016). The song is credited as a bonus track on the album. It was made available for digital download on July 31 ...

" (director

) *

The Elwins The Elwins were a Canadian indie rock band from Keswick, Ontario, consisting of singer and guitarist Matthew Sweeney, drummer Travis Stokl, guitarist/keyboardist Feurd and bassist/singer Frankie Figliomeni. Biography Early days The Elwins starte ...

, "So Down Low" (director Alan Poon) *

The Fast Romantics Fast Romantics is a Canadian indie rock band based in Toronto, Ontario and originally formed in Calgary, Alberta. Early beginnings Fast Romantics formed in 2009 by former members of long-running Calgary band The Mood, initially retaining three ...

, "Julia" (director Matthew Angus) *

, "Flesh Without Blood" (director Grimes) *

Harrison Harrison may refer to: People * Harrison (name) * Harrison family of Virginia, United States Places In Australia: * Harrison, Australian Capital Territory, suburb in the Canberra district of Gungahlin In Canada: * Inukjuak, Quebec, or " ...

, "How Can It Be" (director Maxime Lamontagne) *

Monogrenade Monogrenade is a francophone band based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. History After releasing their first EP in 2009, entitled ''La saveur des fruits'' on Paper Bag Records, they came in second place at the 2010 edition of Les Francouvertes. Th ...

, "Le Fantôme" (director Kristof Brandl)

Longlist

2017

Winners

* Prism Prize:

Kaytranada Louis Kevin Celestin (born August 25, 1992), known professionally as Kaytranada (stylized as KAYTRANADA, shortened as KAYTRA), is a Haitian-Canadian record producer and DJ. Celestin rose to prominence after releasing a series of mixtapes, remixes, ...

, "Lite Spots" (director Martin C. Pariseau)"Prism Prize 2017: Kaytranada Takes Home Award"
''

chartattack.com ''Chart Attack'' was a Canadian online music publication. Formerly a monthly print magazine called ''Chart'', it was published from 1991 to 2009. While the web version appears to be available online, the domain is now used as a popular media outle ...

'', May 15, 2017. * Audience Award:

Andy Shauf Andy Shauf is a Canadian singer-songwriter from Regina, Saskatchewan. He plays several instruments, including clarinet.Carla Gillis"Andy Shauf moves to Toronto" ''Now'', 15 November 2016. Early life Shauf was born in Estevan, Saskatchewan, gr ...

, "The Magician" (director Winston Hacking) *Lipsett Prize: Kid *Hi-Fidelity Award:

July Talk July Talk is a Canadian alternative rock band formed in 2012 in Toronto, Ontario. The band consists of singers Peter Dreimanis and Leah Fay, guitarist Ian Docherty, bassist Josh Warburton, and drummers Danny Miles and Dani Nash. July Talk relea ...

*Special Achievement: Revolver Films

Shortlist

Longlist

2018

Winners

* Prism Prize: Charlotte Day Wilson, "Work" (director Fantavious Fritz) * Audience Award:

Daniel Caesar Ashton Dumar Norwill Simmonds (born April 5, 1995), known professionally as Daniel Caesar, is a Canadian singer and songwriter. After independently building a following through the release of two critically acclaimed EPs, ''Praise Break'' (201 ...

, "Freudian, A Visual" (directors Keavan Yazdani and Sean Brown) *Hi-Fidelity Award:

*Lipsett Award:

Karena Evans Karena Evans (born December 17, 1995) is a Canadian director and actress. She garnered recognition for directing the music videos for Drake's 2018 ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart-topping singles, "God's Plan", "Nice for What", and "In My Feelings". ...

, making her the first woman to win the award *Special Achievement Award: Cherie Sinclair

Shortlist

Longlist

2019

Winners

* Prism Prize:

, "Low" (director Kevan Funk) * Audience Award: Said the Whale, "UnAmerican" (director Johnny Jansen) *Hi-Fidelity Award: Clairmont the Second, "Gheeze" (director Clairmont the Second) *Lipsett Award: Soleil Denault *Special Achievement Award: Lacey Duke

Shortlist

Longlist

2020

The longlist for the 2020 Prism Prize was announced in February 2020, with the shortlist originally slated to be announced on April 2 and the winner to be announced on May 11. Due to the

COVID-19 pandemic in Canada The COVID-19 pandemic in Canada is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (). It is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). Most cases over the course of the pandemic have been in Ontario, Que ...

, however, the prize committee cancelled the May 11 event, and postponed the announcement of the winners to July 22 for the special awards, and July 23 for the topline categories. In addition, they opted not to issue a shortlist, instead announcing that all 20 longlisted nominees would be eligible for the final awards.

Winners

* Prism Prize:

Jessie Reyez Jessica Reyez (born June 12, 1991) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. Her 2016 single "Figures" peaked at number 58 on the Canadian Hot 100 in 2017 and was certified triple Platinum by Music Canada and Platinum by the RIAA. Her 2017 EP, ''K ...

, "Far Away" (director

Peter Huang Peter Wen-shiung Huang (, also known as Peter Ng; born 2 October 1937) is a Taiwanese activist for democratization and human rights. Huang majored in journalism at the National Chengchi University in Taipei and then served in the military f ...

)"Jessie Reyez video wins Prism Prize for Far Away"

CBC News CBC News is a division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the news gathering and production of news programs on the corporation's English-language operations, namely CBC Television, CBC Radio, CBC News Network, and CBC.ca. ...

, July 24, 2020. * Audience Award:

ft.

Koffee Victoria Simpson (born 16 February 2000), better known as Koffee, is a Jamaican reggae singer, songwriter, rapper, and guitarist from Spanish Town, Jamaica. She released her debut single "Burning" in 2017, and in 2019 signed with Columbia Record ...

, "CYANIDE REMIX" (directors Keavan Yazdani, Sean Brown) *Hi-Fidelity Award: Daniela Andrade *Lipsett Award: Tranquilo *Willie Dunn Award:

Laurieann Gibson Laurieann Gibson (born July 14, 1969) is a Canadian choreographer, director, television personality, singer, actress, and dancer. She has choreographed dance numbers for musical artists such as Michael Jackson, Alicia Keys, Lady Gaga, and Beyo ...

*Special Achievement Award: Bardia Zeinali

Longlist

2021

The longlisted nominees for the 2021 Prism Prize were announced on April 29, 2021,Alex Nino Gheciu
"These Are the Top 20 Canadian Music Videos Nominated for the 2021 Prism Prize"
''

Complex Complex commonly refers to: * Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe ** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...

'', April 29, 2021. with the shortlist announced on June 9 and the winners announced on July 26.

Winners

* Prism Prize:

Haviah Mighty Haviah Mighty (born December 17, 1992) is a Canadian rapper from Brampton, Ontario. She rose to prominence in 2016 as a member of the hip hop group the Sorority, before releasing several EPs on her own, most notably ''Flower City'', in 2017. He ...

, "Thirteen" (director Theo Kapodistrias) * Audience Award:

Aquakultre Aquakultre is a Canadian soul and R&B musical project from Halifax, Nova Scotia, whose core member is singer and rapper Lance Sampson. They are most noted for their album ''Legacy'', which was a longlisted nominee for the 2020 Polaris Music Prize. ...

, "Pay It Forward" (directors Evan Elliot and Lance Sampson) *Hi-Fidelity Award:

Crack Cloud Crack Cloud are a Canadian musical collective, musical artist collective, and multimedia collective based in Vancouver, British Columbia, formed by drummer and frontman, Zach Choy. Alongside the group's core musical members who perform live as ...

*Lipsett Award: Gennelle Cruz *Willie Dunn Award:

Leanne Betasamosake Simpson Leanne Betasamosake Simpson is a Mississauga Nishnaabeg writer, musician, and academic from Canada. She is the author of several books centering on Indigenous thought and practices in Canada and is known for her work with the 2012 Idle No Mor ...

*Special Achievement Award: Jordan Oram

Shortlist

Longlist

2022

Winners

* Prism Prize:

Mustafa Mustafa ( ar, مصطفى , Muṣṭafā) is one of the names of Prophet Muhammad, and the name means "chosen, selected, appointed, preferred", used as an Arabic given name and surname. Mustafa is a common name in the Muslim world. Given name Mou ...

, "Ali"David Friend
"Toronto musician Mustafa wins $20,000 Prism Prize for his music video ‘Ali’"
''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'', July 8, 2022. * Audience Award: Khanvict, "Closer" (director Anjali Nayar) *Hi-Fidelity Award:

Chiiild Chiiild (pronounced "child") is a Canadian experimental soul artist, led by XSDTRK, Yonatan "xSDTRK" Ayal signed to Avant Garden Records * and 4th & Broadway (Def Jam Recordings). The Montreal, Montréal-based artist formed in 2017 and released t ...

Matt Bobkin
"Mustafa Wins 2022 Prism Prize"
''

'', July 8, 2022. *Lipsett Award: Iris Kim *Willie Dunn Award:

*Special Achievement Award: Sammy Rawal

Shortlist

References

External links

*{{official website, http://www.prismprize.com/ Canadian music video awards Awards established in 2012 2012 establishments in Canada Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television