Republic Live, producers of the internationally acclaimed and multi-award-winning Boots and Hearts Music Festival, are proud to announce the return of their Canada-wide talent search: the Boots and Hearts Emerging Artist Showcase (EAS), held at Burl’s Creek Event Grounds.
Beginning today, unsigned Canadian artists are invited to apply for a chance to win a $10,000 cash prize, a single release with Universal Music Canada, artist development sessions with RLive Management, a J-45 Special Gibson Guitar, a VIP tour of the Gibson Garage in Nashville, and a performance slot at the 2026 Boots and Hearts Festival. Additionally, the remaining seven artists will each receive a complimentary one-year STRUT VIP membership—an exclusive annual program designed to equip emerging artists with the tools, support, and industry access needed to fast-track their careers.
For full details and to apply, visit: www.bootsandhearts.com/emergingartistshowcase.
For over a decade, Republic Live and the Emerging Artist Showcase have championed rising Canadian country talent, providing artists with a high-impact platform to perform in front of one of the genre’s largest festival audiences and alongside top-tier industry names at Burl’s Creek.
“The Emerging Artist Showcase continues to be a cornerstone of our commitment to supporting homegrown Canadian talent. We are incredibly proud to offer a platform that helps launch the next generation of artists,” says Kate Howse, RLive Artist Manager. “Championing and investing in Canadian music has always been at the heart of what we do at Republic Live, and we’re excited to continue discovering and elevating the country’s brightest new voices.”
Past EAS winners and finalists have gone on to dominate the charts, break streaming records, and earn some of the industry’s highest honours, including multiple CCMA wins and nominations. The program has helped launch the careers of artists such as Canadian Country Music Award winner and Saturday night’s Front Porch Stage Headliner (8/9) Owen Riegling (2022), Josh Ross (2017), James Barker Band (2015), Tim Hicks (2012), and 2024 EAS winner Sarah Vanderzon—who will perform at this year’s Kick-Off Party (8/7) alongside Tyler Joe Miller and headliner Justin Moore.
“I’ve been working on my art for years, hoping for that breakthrough moment. That’s exactly what EAS was for me – it was the launchpad to my career,” says reigning EAS winner Sarah Vanderzon.
“It was one of the coolest experiences of my career, and still is,” says Owen Riegling. “Getting the chance to play the big stage and be surrounded by so many amazing artists was just a dream come true.”
Shantaia, 2023 EAS winner, adds, “It was one of the most unique and incredible experiences I’ve ever had—something I’ll never forget.”
For more information on festival artists, tickets, RV and tent camping, and parking, visit: www.bootsandhearts.com
