Two former winners are in the running again tonight as the $20,000 Polaris Music Prize will be awarded at a Toronto gala.
Caribou -- a.k.a. Dan Snaith of Dundas, Ont. -- is up for "Swim" after winning the award in 2008 while Toronto's Owen Pallett is nominated for "Heartland" after winning the inaugural prize in 2006.
This is the fifth year for the Polaris, which is awarded based on merit, without regard for genre or sales.
The 10-artist short list was selected by polling nearly 200 music journalists spread across Canada, while tonight's winner will be chosen by an 11-member grand jury.
This year's class is the first to feature two artists who write in a language other than English: Montreal's Francophone rock band Karkwa and Nova Scotia electro outfit Radio Radio, who rap primarily in Acadian French.
Three other nominated acts will be familiar to those who have followed the Polaris.
London, Ont., rapper Shad is nominated for "TSOL" after making the short list in 2008, Toronto rock collective Broken Social Scene are in the mix again after previously making the cut in 2006 and proggy Montreal rock outfit the Besnard Lakes are also repeat nominees after getting the nod in 2007.
Toronto country band the Sadies, Calgary-raised pop duo Tegan and Sara and Vancouver singer-songwriter Dan Mangan are also vying for the award.
All 10 acts will perform at the gala, to be held at Toronto's Masonic Temple and streamed online at MuchMusic.com.
