Up-and-coming artists can now submit for chance to perform on Boots and Hearts stage

The Emerging Artist Showcase at Boots and Hearts festival at Burl's Creek Event Grounds in Oro-Medonte, Ont. (Boots and Hearts)

If you’re an artist or in a band, your opportunity to take the spotlight at one of the country’s largest music festivals is coming soon.

Boots and Hearts, the country music festival that takes over Burl’s Creek Event Grounds in Oro-Medonte every August, has now opened submissions for its Emerging Artist Showcase.

Recognized as Canada’s leading talent search, the Emerging Artist Showcase scours the country for top-tier talent. As long as the artists are unsigned, if they are selected, they could win a $10,000 cash prize, a single release with Universal Music Canada and artist development sessions with Republic Live. They will also get a new guitar, a VIP tour of Gibson Garage in Nashville—the store that sells that brand of guitars—and a performance slot at next year’s Boots and Hearts festival.

The other seven artists who make it to the top will get a complimentary one-year STRUT VIP membership, which is a program designed to help emerging artist with the tools they need to move forward with their music careers.

“Championing and investing in the future of Canadian music has always been at the heart of what we do at Republic Live. We’re excited to continue discovering and elevating the country’s brightest new voices through the 2026 Emerging Artist Showcase,” says Kate Howse, Artist Management, RLive.

The Emerging Artist Showcase is an initiative that’s been running for 15 years, championing rising Canadian country musicians.

The program has launched several highly successful country musicians into the mainstream including Josh Ross, James Barker Band, Robyn Ottolini and Tim Hicks, to name a few.

To apply, interested applicants can go to the Boots and Hearts website.

The Jonas Brothers, The Chicks and Rascal Flatts are set to headline the main stage at the festival running from Aug. 7 to 9.