Saskatchewan's Andy Shauf makes the 2016 Polaris Music Prize long list

Andy Shauf has made the 2016 Polaris Music Prize long list for his latest record, The Party.

The Regina singer-songwriter has generated international buzz for the album and recently wrapped up a European tour with American band, The Lumineers.

• First Play: Andy Shauf, The Party
• Here is the 2016 Polaris Prize long list

The Party focuses on different characters attending a house party. Shauf played all of the instruments forthe album, except for the strings, and recorded it at Studio One inside the CBC Regina building.

Shauf is one of 40Canadian artists who made the long list. Big names such as Drake, The Weekend and Carly Rae Jepsen share the honour with independent acts like PUP, Daniel Romano and The Strumbellas.

In addition to the Polaris Prize nod, Shauf has just been shortlisted for the SOCAN Songwriter's Prize. The award is the biggest prize in Canada for emerging songwriters and is now open for the public to vote.

The Polaris Music Prize is an annual, juried award given to a Canadian album of the highest artistic integrity without regard to sales figures, genre or professional affiliation. It is determined by a jury of journalists, broadcasters, bloggers and programmers from across Canada. This year, the winning album will receive $50,000.

Previous winners include Tanya Tagaq, Feist, Patrick Watson, Owen Pallett, Arcade Fire and last year's winner, Buffy Sainte-Marie for her album Power in the Blood.

The jury will vote once more to decide a short list of 10 albums, which will be announced on July 14, and this year's Polaris Music Prize winner will be announced at a live gala event on the evening of Sept. 19.