Awards to be live-streamed on July 26, 2021
Toronto, April 29, 2021 - The Prism Prize announced today the Top 20 Canadian music videos of the year eligible for the 2021 Grand Prize, as voted by a jury of more than 130 Canadian music, film, and media arts professionals. The Grand Prize winner will be revealed virtually on Monday, July 26, 2021 at 8:00 PM ET, streamed live on PrismPrize.com - as well as the Prism Prize Twitter and YouTube channels - and will be awarded $20,000.
The 2021 Prism Prize Top 20 (in alphabetical order):
Andy Shauf - Clove Cigarette (Directors: Colin Medley, Jared Raab & Luca Tarantini)
Aquakultre - Pay It Forward (Directors: Evan Elliot & Lance Sampson)
Braids - Young Buck (Director: Kevin Calero)
Clairmont The Second - DUN (Director: Clairmont The Second)
Daniela Andrade - Tamale (Directors: Justin Singer & Daniela Andrade)
Haviah Mighty - Thirteen (Director: Theo Kapodistrias)
Jessie Reyez - Love In The Dark (Director: Se Oh)
July Talk - Governess Shadow (Director: Cosette Schulz)
Kandle - Lock and Load (Director: Brandon William Fletcher)
Lido Pimienta - Nada (feat. Li Saumet) (Director: Paz Ramirez)
Mustafa - Air Forces (Directors: Glenn Michael & Christo)
Mustafa - Stay Alive (Director: King Bee Productions)
Rich Aucoin - Walls (Director: Jason Levangie)
Savannah Ré - Opia Experience (Director: Yasmin Evering-Kerr)
Savannah Ré - Solid (Director: Alicia K. Harris)
Sean Leon - 90 BPM (Director: Sean Leon)
The Weather Station - Robber (Director: Tamara Lindeman)
TOBi - 24 (Toronto Remix) (Director: Kit Weyman)
U.S. Girls - 4 American Dollars (Directors: Emily Pelstring & Meg Remy)
Witch Prophet - Tesfay (Director: Leah Vlemmiks)
“While 2020 was a tumultuous year, Canadian music video creators saw light in the darkness and produced some of the most poignant and introspective works in recent memory,” said Louis Calabro, VP of Programming & Awards at the Canadian Academy and Founder of Prism Prize. “As music industry disruptions persist, we are proud to shine a spotlight on these important works.”
The distinguished group of jurors reviewed more than 300 eligible Canadian music videos to nominate the Prism Prize Top 20, with the Prism Prize Top Ten shortlist set to be announced on June 9, 2021. Previous Grand Prize winners include Peter Huang for Jessie Reyez’s Far Away, and Fantavious Fritz for Charlotte Day Wilson’s Work.
Members of the public are encouraged to vote for their favourite video from the Top 20 to help determine the recipient of this years’ Audience Award. Fans can vote starting today (Thursday, April 29, 2021) through Wednesday, June 23, 2021 at prismprize.com.
The Top 20 nominated filmmakers (directors and producers) will also receive complimentary memberships to the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television, courtesy of Telefilm Canada.
Several Special Award recipients will be unveiled in the lead-up to the virtual presentation on July 26, 2021 . These awards are designed to recognize Canadian artists making an impact and include the Hi-Fidelity Award, supported by FACTOR, established to recognize recording artists who utilize music video in innovative ways; the Lipsett Award, established to celebrate a unique approach to music video art; the Special Achievement Award, presented by Slaight Music, established to recognize an exceptional contribution to music video art on the world stage; and the Willie Dunn Award, supported by Telefilm Canada, presented to a Canadian trailblazer who has demonstrated excellence within the music, music video and/or film production communities.
