Next Gen: Singing Contest
The Next Gen: Singing Contest is a yearly juried singing competition for youth aged 16-22 hosted by the Streetsville Bread and Honey Festival, produced by Mississauga Arts Council, and sponsored by Metalworks Studios and Metalworks Institute.
This year’s competition was held on June 7, 2025, at the Streetsville Bread and Honey Festival’s Community Stage. Youth vocalists will perform in a juried competition with established jurors from the Mississauga music community, competing for prize money and experience courses from Metalworks Studios and Metalworks Institute.
AUDITIONS OPEN SPRING 2026
Next Gen: Singing Contest
Fifteen selected vocalists will showcase their talents on the Community Stage at the Streetsville Bread & Honey Festival for the chance to win a cash prize and prizes from Metalworks Studios and Metalworks Institute!

Audition Details
Important Dates
2026 dates to be determined.
Eligibility
- Open to vocalists aged 16-22 at the time of performance (date TBD)
- Must be resident of the City of Mississauga
Submission Requirements
- Contact information
- Mailing address
- A video or audio recording of you performing (submit as a link)
- A short bio (max 150 words)
- What song(s) you will be performing
- Social media links
- Headshot for promotional purposes
Terms & Frequently Asked Questions
- NEW THIS YEAR: The first-place winner of the Next Gen: Singing Contest will be asked to perform on the Main Stage. We ask all of those chosen to perform at the contest to have 2 songs ready to perform (one to perform during the contest and one to potentially perform on the Main Stage).
- Only selected peformers will be contacted
- Up to 15 performers will be selected
- If you are selected to perform, you will perform one song (backtrack provided by you). Your time slot will be provided to you ahead of time.
- Mics and other audio equipment will be provided.
Prizing
- 1st Prize – Cash prize of $300 from MAC, and 2 Student for a Day Experiences: Live Music Experience & Studio Recording Experience for winner(s) plus two friends from Metalworks Studios and Metalworks Institute.
- 2nd Prize – Cash prize of $200 from MAC, 1 Student for a Day Experience: Live Music Experience or Studio Recording Experience for winner(s) plus two friends from Metalworks Studios and Metalworks Institute.
- 3rd Prize – Cash prize of $100 from MAC, 1 Student for a Day Experience: Live Music Experience or Studio Recording Experience for winner(s) plus one friend from Metalworks Studios and Metalworks Institute.
- ***All winners also receive a free subscription to SoundsUnite ($120 value) and a complimentary 1-year student membership from MAC
Terms
This event will be recorded/photographed and may be used for program-related marketing for Mississauga Arts Council and/or Streetsville Bread & Honey Festival.
This is a family-friendly event and as such, your performance must be suitable for all ages.
Questions
Please contact Sherri Parliament, MAC’s Communications Manager & Music Strategist at sherri@macarts.ca. Please allow up to two business days for a response.
Meet the Jurors

THE iDENTiTY CRiSiS (Paul Castro)
Award-Winning Indie-Folk Singer-Songwriter
About Paul Castro
With over 30 million YouTube views, and over half a million downloads to his credit, THE iDENTiTY CRiSiS (real name Paul Castro) is a singer, songwriter, rapper, producer, multi-instrumentalist, podcast host, and film maker from Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. His music has been heard regularly in Canada on TSN Radio, in North America on NBC, and internationally on Amazon Prime Video.

Heather Christine
Award-Winning Vocalist & Recording Artist
About Heather Christine
Heather Christine is an award-winning vocalist, recording artist, new producer and community
advocate from Mississauga. Her dynamic stage presence and soulful voice have led her to stages
across Canada performing for audiences as large as 25,000. Heather Christine is dedicated to her
community. She is the Creator of Isn’t She Lovely, a concert celebrating women in music and the
West Vocal Jam outreach music program.
As a recording artist, Heather Christine’s original sound is a fusion of Jazz with elements of Pop,
R&B. Her new single, C’est Magnifique (released Jan 2025) was produced by celebrated Canadian
pianist Bill King. The single has received airplay on 31 radio stations around the world including
France, Brazil, Scotland, South Africa and the Czech Republic. At home in Canada, the single was
heard on CBC Radio and Jazz FM91.1 among others. C’est Magnifique is the first track from her
sophomore EP titled Heather Christine with the Bill King Trio featuring Mark Kelso on drums and
Paul Novotny on bass.

Jesse Read
Founder, Dropout Entertainment
About Jesse Read
Jesse Read is the founder of Dropout Entertainment and The Canadian Independent Music Video Awards, as well as a cinematographer and photographer with a passion for Canadian music, with 15+ years of experience in the industry. Dropout Entertainment is a Mississauga based company that helps Canadian artists share their work, talents and stories with the world. What started as a hobby during his Entertainment Business Management course at Metalworks Institute for Read, whose goal was to give artists across the country the ability to share their art with other artists and fans across the country has grown into a platform that has helped hundreds of artists of all sizes, from promoting artists releasing their first ever single to shooting for multi-platinum artists and gained a respectful position in the Canadian music industry. As well as a platform to share their music, Dropout Entertainment also provides videography, photography, editing and merchandise services to artists across Canada. Jesse has had the opportunity to film/photograph & interview bands like The Tragically Hip, The Barenaked Ladies, The Arkells, Shania Twain, Lights, Ludacris, Yungblood & Ice Cube as well as work with organizations like The Downie Wenjack Foundation, The City Of Toronto, The City Of Mississauga, Casa Loma, General Motors Canada, United Health Network & Freshii.
Previous Winners
2025
1st place: Olivia Chameroy
2nd place: Brenden Perera
3rd place: Kiara Macri
2024
1st place: Angelo Brown
2nd place: Alyx Lim
3rd place: Mikylah
2023
1st place: Jay
2nd place: Hanna Alaei
3rd place: Natalie G
2022
1st place: Jasy
2nd place: Bianca Espino
3rd place: Ramya Ramnath
2019
1st place: Precious Hernandez
Runners-up: Jheo Navarro and Isabelle Vargis
2018
1st place: Alexa Frankian
Runners-up: Maria D’Souza and Alex Rosolowski
2017
1st place: Kendra Charest-French
Runners-up: Melaine Cabral and Maame Gyiwuo






