Karkwa lead singer Louis-Jean Cormier performs in Switzerland in 2009. The band, which won the 2010 Polaris Music Prize, nabbed best francophone album. Karkwa lead singer Louis-Jean Cormier performs in Switzerland in 2009. The band, which won the 2010 Polaris Music Prize, nabbed best francophone album. (Trezzini/Keystone,Martial/AP)

Neil Young kicked off the Juno Awards' 40th anniversary weekend by claiming the trophy for adult alternative album of the year.

Juno winners
  • New group: Said the Whale
  • Adult Alternative album: Neil Young, Le Noise
  • Alternative album: Arcade Fire, The Suburbs
  • Country album: Johnny Reid, A Place Called Love
  • Rock album: Matthew Good, Vancouver
  • Vocal jazz album: Kellylee Evans, Nina
  • Contemporary jazz album: Christine Jensen Jazz Orchestra, Treelines
  • Traditional jazz: John MacLeod’s Rex Hotel Orchestra, Our First Set
  • Instrumental album: Continent & Western, Fond of Tigers
  • Francophone album: Karkwa, Les chemins de verre
  • Children’s album: Peter Lenton, Proud Like a Mountain
  • Rap recording: Shad, TSOL
  • Dance recording: Deadmau5, Sofi Needs a Ladder
  • R&B/Soul recording: Quanteisha, Stars
  • Reggae recording: Elaine Lil’Bit Shepherd, Likkle But Mi Tallawah
  • Aboriginal album: CerAmony, CerAmony
  • Roots and traditional: Old Man Luedecke, My Hands Are On Fire and Other Love Songs
  • Roots album (group): Le Vent du Nord, La part du feu
  • Blues album: Jim Byrnes, Everywhere West
  • Christian/gospel: Greg Sczebel, Love & the Lack Thereof
  • World music: Élage Diouf, Aksil
  • Electronic album: Caribou, Swim
  • International album: Katy Perry, Teenage Dream
  • Classical album: Gryphon Trio, Beethoven: Piano Trios Op. 70 No. 1, Ghost & No. 2: Op 11
  • Classical (soloist with large ensemble): Lara St. John, Mozart/Scott and Lara St. John/The Knights
  • Classical (vocal): Gerald Finley, Great Operatic Arias
  • Classical composition: R. Murray Schafer, Duo For Violin And Piano, Wild Bird
  • Video of the year: Hedley, Perfect
  • Music DVD: Rush: Beyond The Lighted Stage

The prize was handed out during a dinner gala Saturday at Toronto's Allstream Centre, where 32 of 40 Junos were to be awarded.

Backstage, Young said the older he gets, the more he appreciates such honours.

Young's Juno win for Le Noise comes six weeks after he claimed a Grammy for best rock song — the first Grammy he's picked up for his music. He had previously claimed one of the coveted U.S. trophies for the packaging of his "Archives" set.

The win brought his career Juno tally to six.

Saturday also saw a Juno win for Karkwa, the Polaris Music Prize winners who claimed the award for francophone album of the year, and Fond of Tigers, who won for instrumental album of the year.

The remaining eight categories were to be decided during Sunday's Juno broadcast from the Air Canada Centre.

Other winners Saturday included Edmonton teenager Quanteisha Benjamin, who claimed the award for R&B/soul recording of the year for Stars, and pin-up pop star Katy Perry, who took the prize for international album of the year for her smash, Teenage Dream.

Daniel Lanois, the Canadian producer behind Young's Le Noise, won the producer of the year honours for his work on the track Hitchhiker on Le Noise and for the song I Believe in You, created with his own band Black Dub.

Toronto rapper Drake, 24, led going into the weekend with six total nominations.

Drake is also set to host Sunday's hometown awards bash, which promises performances from Arcade Fire, Broken Social Scene and Sarah McLachlan, and boasts appearances from Shania Twain, Randy Bachman and Young, who's scheduled to receive an award for his philanthropy. The show will air on CTV.