Recognizing the incredible amount of talent amongst musicians in our region, let alone across the nation, and the dearth of opportunities to gain traction as an artist outside of finding the limelight on social media, The Songwriter of The Year showcase has arrived to celebrate the talented, self-expressive, musicians out there who create music that speaks to them.
Brand new for 2025, the showcase gave 4 talented emerging songwriters an opportunity to get on stage in front of 10k+ fans to be at Levitate music festival and a $5k+ grant to freely create an album, in addition to an added pedigree to their “resumes” to help propel their creative journeys forward.
Songwriters, musicians, and bands can toss their hat in the ring by simply creating a new video performing an original song and sending it in an the application form below (applications for 2026 officially open!). Production value need not apply – we’re looking for beat musicians committed to their craft! From there, the team listens to every application twice – In 2025, we nodded our heads to over 280 songs from emerging artists – and narrows the field to ten finalists. Our panel of judges – full of industry legends and led by Chadwick Stokes in 2025 – then faces the near impossible task of narrowing things down to four finalists!
Location: Quincy MA
Location: Syracuse NY
Location: New York, NY
Location: Boston, MA
Location: Essex, MA
Location: Boston, MA
Officially open for 2026, We offer community grants to support creators, mentors, and outdoorsmen aiming to tackle projects that will inspire their community to create and connect with nature. Whether it be teaching your craft to the next generation, creating art that will inspire your community, bettering communal spaces or local trails, or anything else you dream up, we want to help!
The Levitate Foundation serves the creative community by offering the two most important things emerging creators and blossoming talent are in need of: time and space – time to create freely and a space or a platform to display their craft, creating and substantiating their relationship with their audience.The Emerging Artist addresses these needs by awarding 10 Visual artists and 4 Musicians an opportunity to display their work in front of thousands and $5k+ grants that will allow them to create freely and further pursue their craft. Applications are now open for 2026 Songwriter’s and Visual artist showcase – click below to learn more and apply!
In Levitate Foundation’s pilot season of 2023, we are supporting nearly one hundred underserved families so their children can attend summer camps and programs that inspire creativity and connection to nature. Now, we’ve helped over 400 kiddos have a formative camp experience at partner organizations who share a belief in the power of self expression, connecting with nature, and community!
The Levitate Foundation cultivates a better future by creating and conserving access to music, art and the outdoors.
