Official Showcases: Apply to Perform at FAI 2026 | Folk Alliance International 2026 Conference

Official Showcase Applications open May 1st!

What are Official Showcases?

From hundreds of applicants, 180 Official Showcase Artists are chosen to perform on the conference's largest stages to crowds of agents, DJs, promoters, labels, venues, organizations, and more. These jury-selected, tour-ready musicians represent diverse cultures, languages, and sound.

Each Official Showcase is a 30-minute set performed on a full production stage at the in-person conference.

The 2026 conference will be held at the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel, located at: 500 Canal St, New Orleans, LA 70130.

application Opens soon

Key Dates & Deadlines

Below are the key dates and deadlines for the Official Showcases

Thursday, May 1, 2025

Official Showcase applications open

Friday, June 6, 2025

Official Showcase applications close at 11:59 pm CT

Friday, August 1, 2025

Official Showcase Artists notified

Thursday, September 8, 2025

Official Showcase Artists announced publicly

How do I apply for an Official Showcase?

Make sure you're eligible. Artists are not allowed to showcase as an Official Showcase Artist for more than two consecutive years without a gap year.
Fill out the Official Showcase application. ‍
Submit your application with the application fee. FAI Members get 50% off their application: log-in to your FAI Membership account here to access the 50% off code. Become an FAI Member.

Selected Official Showcase Artists will be notified August 1, 2025.

Materials You'll Need to Complete the Application

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View a PDF of the application in advance to see what it looks like.
Credit card for application fee
Contact information for the artist and all representation
50-word bio (3rd-person)
Two different artist/band headshot photos (750px square, 300dpi, color)
Link to 1-2 audio samples (note: the jury cannot review downloads, Dropbox or Google Drive files)
Link to 1 video of a live performance of the proposed showcase format
Names/roles of all band members
Stage plot (.pdf)
Links to the most recent highest profile media reviews
The most significant nominations or awards the artist has won

Application Fee

FAI Members: $30

Non-members: $60

FAI Members get 50% off – log-in to your FAI Membership account here to access the 50% off code. Become an FAI Member.

How do I Submit the Best Showcase Application?

The final selection of Official Showcase Artists is one of the most difficult processes for our team and jurors because of how talented (and huge) our community is. Not being selected as an Official Showcase Artist is not necessarily a sign that an act is less talented or less deserving than any other – or that a showcase application was weak. But having a strong application will definitely help you.

At last year's Submitting an Outstanding Showcase Application webinar, we collected thoughts from our conference director Jerod Rivers, Lisa Whytock from Showcase Scotland, and Nicole Roman-Johnston from SXSW – three experts on jurying and curating global conferences.

In this 1-hour, detailed breakdown, you'll learn

How to write a touring/marketing plan that shows your career-readiness
Tips for keeping your promo assets professional
What a jury cares about most when looking at your application

If you're new to this world, or familiar but always scratching your head at this process and decision-making, this is a must-watch.

We'll be announcing more resources like this soon, so sign up for our updates to get notified.