At the top: Theater in my mind, Boryana Kostova
Directly above: The Patriot, Ryan Michael Kelly,
Both 2025 GFA Emerging Artists Program participants
To be considered eligible for the Emerging Artists Program an artist must
The Gasparilla Festival of the Arts Emerging Artists Program allows up and coming artists to present their work to a large audience in a professional setting, often for the first time.
Application for the 2026 Emerging Artists Program will be accepted from October 1, 2025 through November 30, 2025. Follow our social media for updates and the link to apply.
Fifteen emerging artists will be selected to present and sell their work in the Festival. Once selected, these artists are invited to participate in the Festival as “emerging artists” at no cost. The Festival provides each emerging artist with a 10’x10′ display tent to showcase their work. The emerging artist is responsible for everything inside of the tent, including display tables, shelves and anything else they believe will help present and sell their art.
In addition, each emerging artist receives $425 to reimburse expenses. This stipend is paid on Festival weekend.
Although emerging artists do not compete with the other Festival artists for prize money, their artwork is reviewed by the Festival Awards Juror who decides which emerging artist will receive the $1,500 Emerging Artist Award.
Emerging artists must abide by the same Festival rules governing other Festival artists. Please review those rules here. Each applicant must submit three digital images of artwork produced no earlier than three years prior to the year of application. In applications for GFA 2026, work samples must not be completed before January 1, 2022. All submitted images must include the date of completion, medium and dimensions. A description of each piece is optional but recommended. The images must represent the type of work that will be displayed in the booth and only work of the quality and type illustrated in the artist’s application may be exhibited in their booth at the Festival. Applications must be submitted electronically through ZAPP by 11:59pm on November 30, 2025. Gasparilla Festival of the Arts reserves the right to extend the application deadline, but will not shorten it. Emails with the results of the jury process will be sent to all applicants in mid-December.
In addition to the booth and stipend mentioned above, emerging artists will have the opportunity to participate in several mentoring sessions with established artists and arts administrators intended to build skills and knowledge that will be helpful in a professional career as a visual artist. Past mentoring topics have included skill building for traveling festival artists, accessing new markets (retail, interior design, galleries), tax concerns for artists, and an introduction to grant writing. Topics for the mentoring sessions are subject to change. Some sessions may occur in person, but all will be available on Zoom and recorded so that those who reside outside of Central Florida can still participate.
Blanket Approval is a 4-piece indie rock band from New York City. They formed in 2021 when lead singer Jack Matteucci took a collection of demos recorded in the basement of his physics lab, moved to Brooklyn, and met drummer/singer Joey Hadden. The two were later joined by bassist Max Mena and keyboardist/guitarist/singer Rahul Chakraborty. The group has played dozens of shows around New York City and the Northeast, from Burlington to Baltimore. They’ve released 10 singles to date, blending hard rock with tight melodies and groovy bass lines; drawing from influences like Portugal. The Man and Franz Ferdinand.
The Savants are a nine piece southern soul group from Gainesville, FL. They perform original soul music inspired by the Muscle Shoals Sound as well as the iconic and legendary music that came out of labels like Stax Records and Atlantic Records during the 1960s & 1970s.
Formed in 2011 in Gainesville, FL, the group has undergone several personal changes over the years but settled into its current lineup around 2020.
The band has made its presence felt around the southeast, notably playing Red Gorilla at SXSW in 2017, Suwannee Hulaween in 2016 and Changeville in its hometown in 2018 and 2016. Along the way they have been featured alongside groups such as; Gary Clark Jr., Durand Jones and the Indications, St. Paul and the Broken Bones, Kendra Morris, Charles Bradley and His Extraordinares, George Porter Jr of the Meters, The Original Wailers, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Postmodern Jukebox and more.
Tv Breakup Scene is an indie pop punk band from Tampa, FL inspired by Paramore with a gaze-y twist. After a year of writing they finally made their debut with their new release Troubled Mind!
Music’s ability to release energy within us is overwhelming. Capturing moments of emotion and expression to elicit that reaction is such a joyful honor. It’s allowed me to connect, create, and cultivate so many beautiful experiences. Let this be with you… Cheers!
Danish-American, California-born, and Florida-raised multi-instrumentalist Mia Marlene offers a vibrant sonic world through her indie pop music, which is infused with hues of 1980’s synth pop and lush, captivating melodies. Her self-produced debut album, “good for my art,” features songs about living abroad, creative aspirations, and terrible exes (because, well, you know).
Mia Marlene’s music is anchored in her many experiences living in London, Copenhagen, Colorado, and Washington D.C.; places that shaped her sonic vision and imprinted onto her the wealth of the human experience, and how all of these experiences can serve as creative fuel for songwriting and music-making.
PRIZILLA is a pop-soul whirlwind, where horns wail, melodies sparkle, and every beat feels like an invitation. With a microphone in one hand and a saxophone in the other, she leads her band through a kaleidoscope of pop, funk, and soul, crafting music that’s as bold as it is unforgettable. It’s a sound that dances between the playful and the profound, wrapping stories in irresistible rhythms that refuse to stand still.
Since releasing PEOPLE PERSON, their debut EP, the band has been turning heads and moving feet. With over 50,000 fans following along online, PRIZILLA has earned a reputation for live shows that are part concert, part catharsis, and entirely unmissable.
The band has shared stages with Nick Hakim and Madison McFerrin, lit up NYC with Couch and The Retrograde, and shaken the rafters with St. Paul & the Broken Bones and Flipturn at FL Fin Fest. PRIZILLA shows no signs of stopping, proving that music isn’t just something you hear—it’s something you feel. And they feel it. This is music for anyone who craves the unexpected, the unforgettable, and the kind of energy that makes you lose track of time. Come for the sax solos; stay for the magic.
The Bronx New York-based singer-producer Pusha Preme has been making waves with his delicate blend of heartfelt melodies; Goal-oriented lyrics, and harmonies that reel you in like a fish on a hook. Above all, Pusha’s music is often praised for its high intimacy and familiar themes that find their way to a special place in the listener’s heart.
Mk Blessed was born in Congo Kinshasa in Sep 18th He is a singer/songwriter and a speaker who started writing songs at the age of 7 and taught them to His Church worship team, which enjoyed singing His songs.
He formed His first Music group at the Age of 10 and was doing secular music.
When He was 13 he fled his home country and went to a Refugee camp due to war, He lived there for 10 years and then immigrated to the USA in 2016, though He has been writing for a while Mk Blessed released His first single on Dec, 4 2021 entitled Faithful God.
MK blessed is a husband of one wife and a father of two girls, He went to Kampala High School and later attended Bible college in Uganda East Africa, He is a founder of a non profit organization named Fociom that shares love with the underprivileged of the world like himself, Mk Blessed passion is to help others.
Singer, songwriter, guitarist. I aim to write emotional music that addresses the world we live in and how it makes us all feel.
This unique & unscripted collection of Sideshow characters are of various talents and backgrounds to make for a spectacle of amazing musical entertainment. Experience the anecdotal mishaps from the wild to the fantastical. Boho Sideshow comes from parts unknown, but are known for performing an exhibition of Eclectic Americana Music.
FABIOLA MÉNDEZ is a Puerto Rican cuatrista, singer, educator, and Emmy-nominated composer. Her artistic vision and original music focus on the exploration of her culture, her ancestry, and her identities.
Native to Caguas, PR, Fabiola began playing the cuatro, Puerto Rico’s national instrument, at the age of six. She got her early music trainings at the Antonio Paoli School of Music in Caguas and her Bachelor’s in Music from Berklee College of Music, where in 2018 she made history as the first graduate to play the Puerto Rican cuatro as principal instrument.
Fabiola’s mission has always been to share and celebrate the cuatro, folk music, and collective story-telling. In doing so, she’s had the honor of performing at venues such as the NPR Tiny Desk, Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC, Celebrity Series of Boston, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Fred Rogers Productions, Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña, among many others. She has also collaborated with many local and international artists, including the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra, Totó La Momposina, Pedro Capó, Andy Montañez, Danny Rivera, Chicago Philharmonic, and the Boston Landmarks Orchestra.
Her list of recordings include: Herencia Criolla (2009), Al Otro Lado Del Charco (2019), Afrorriqueña (2021), and Flora Campesina (2024). In 2022, she produced her first
documentary “Negrura”, showcasing Afro-Latinx stories in topics around colorism and discrimination within our own communities.
In recent years, she’s had the honor of receiving recognitions such as the Quincy Jones Award, ambassador for the Puerto Rican Day Parade in NYC, the Brother Thomas Fellowship, the Whippoorwill Arts Fellowship, and the ASCAP Foundation Lucille and Jack Yellen Award 2022. She was also nominated for a Children’s and Family Emmy in the category of Outstanding Interactive Media and won the “Latin Artist of the Year 2023” by the Boston Music Awards. Her music is featured on the film Beautiful, FL (Disney+), on the tv shows Alma’s Way, Work It Out Wombats (PBS Kids), and Mecha Builders (HBO Max), as well as indie films, jingles, and TV commercials.