School House has been crowned the winner of this year’s Emerging Artist Showcase at the Boots and Hearts Music Festival.
The competition, which began Thursday at the Oro-Medonte country music festival, featured up-and-coming performers vying for a career-boosting prize package. School House advanced through the finals Sunday to take home the top honours.
As the winner, School House receives a $10,000 cash prize, a single release with Universal Music Canada, management sessions from RLive Management, and a Gibson J-45 Special guitar along with a VIP tour of the Gibson Garage. The act will also return to perform on the Boots and Hearts stage in 2026.
The seven runner-up artists were awarded complimentary one-year memberships to STRUT VIP, a program designed to give emerging artists access to tools, support and industry connections.
The showcase has become a key feature of Boots and Hearts, offering Canadian talent a platform to launch into the country music industry.
Photographer Sofia Jardine captured these images of the showcase on Thursday, August 7, 2025:
School House
Amanda Couture
Warren Hargraves
Annika Catharina
Sean Michael Ray
Jade Hilton
Lowell Lawson
Lake Porter
