EDITORS NOTE - EDIT CONTAINS CONVERTED 4:3 MATERIAL<br/> <br />"Graceland" singer-songwriter Paul Simon and cellist Yo-Yo Ma are this year's Polar Prize laureates.<br/> <br />The annoucement of the prestigious Swedish award, which is also one of the biggest monetary music prizes in the world, was announced in Stockholm on Tuesday (May 7).<br/> <br />Simon and Ma will each receive one million Swedish Krona, equivalent to 146,000 U.S. dollars.<br/> <br />Simon shot to fame in the 1960s as half of duo Simon and Garfunkel and later, as a solo artist, produced the groundbreaking album "Graceland" in 1986.<br/> <br />It featured the now critically-acclaimed Ladysmith Black Mbazo (mum-bazo) and at the time, sparked controversy as Simon turned his back on an international recording boycott with South African musicians brought on by apartheid policies.<br/> <br />Simon has called the album his greatest career achievement.<br/> <br />The Polar Prize committee lauded Simon's skills as a "world-class songwriter".<br/> <br />SOUNDBITE: Chairman Of The Polar Music Prize Award Committee Alfons Karabuda, saying (English):<br/> <br />"His ability to really be a perfectionist, you know in detail of the music that he has done. He's polishing his music until it's a bright diamond."<br/> <br />Ma was also praised for his many achievements including the nonprofit arts and educational organisation the Silk Road Project.<br/> <br />But the committee said this prize was for his work as a musician.<br/> <br />Ma is one of the biggest classical musicians of all time, selling 75 million albums worldwide and winning 15 Grammy awards.<br/> <br />SOUNDBITE: Chairman Of The Polar Music Prize Award Committee Alfons Karabuda, saying (English):<br/> <br />"That is one of the strengths with him - you can listen to Yo-Yo Ma every day, anytime because he has done so much."<br/> <br />Next up will be a special ceremony attended by members of the Swedish royal family, which will take place in Stockholm in August.<br/> <br />Cindy Martin, Reuters
