The Polaris Music Prize has released its “long list” of records being considered for the prestigious Canadian award, and several high-profile B.C. artists have made the cut.

Black Mountain’s stormy In the Future is on the 40-album list, as is Destroyer’s moody Trouble in Dreams and Veda Hille’s This Riot Life.

The New Pornographers are also in the running with Challengers, as are twin rockers Tegan and Sara, whose record The Con was produced by Death Cab for Cutie’s Chris Walla.

Still, the vast majority of the bands in contention—including Buck 65, Crystal Castles, Cadence Weapon, the Weakerthans, Holy Fuck, Stars, Kathleen Edwards, and Christine Fellows—come from central and eastern Canada.

Last year, B.C. bands were completely shut out of the list of finalists. The 2007 prize went to Montreal’s Patrick Watson.

The Polaris Prize is judged solely by artistic merit, rather than by genre or record sales, and the winner receives $20,000. This year’s list of 10 finalists will be released on July 7 at the Drake Hotel in Toronto.