Shortlist announced for 2018 Edmonton Music Prize

Trombone player Audrey Ochoa, indigenous singer-songwriter Celeigh Cardinal and Ukrainian-Canadian folk group Zaitsa are some of the acts on the shortlist for this year's Edmonton Music Prize.

The $10,000 award honours an outstanding album and an artist's contributions to the local arts scene. The winner will be announced Feb. 5.

Two previous prize winners are also on the shortlist: soul-pop singer Nuela Charles and metal ambassadors Striker. The other nominees are:

• Jesse and the Dandelions, a group of psych-rockers;
• Marco Claveria, a Chilean-Canadian folk musician;
• Scenic Route To Alaska, a trio of folk-rockers from Riverdale;
• VISSIA, a singer-songwriter who started her own label, Hurry Hard Records;
• Lindsey Walker, a singer-songwriter.

The Edmonton Music Prize is sponsored by the City of Edmonton through the Edmonton Arts Council.