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Chicago Made supports local creatives, entrepreneurs and artisans who make our city the artistic and economic hub that it is. Chicago’s TV and Film, music and other creative industries jump-start neighborhood growth, drive cultural identities and lead ingenuity felt worldwide. DCASE supports Chicago’s makers and dreamers by connecting them to the resources they need to get started and keep going. Chicago Made supports Chicago’s creative community and directly connects emerging artists to the City of Chicago’s resources, opportunities, festivals, events and cultural programming.

The Chicago Made Music Showcase Finale on Saturday, October 19th was a crowd-pleaser to say the least! A big thanks to Next Showcase for partnering with DCASE to make this happen.

Congratulations to M.E.H. on winning the $10,000 grand prize as well as the winners listed below!

2025 Chicago Made Lollapalooza Showcase Performance – Clarice and Mike Lawry Baby
2025 Taste of Chicago Performance Opportunity – Da Legend, King Limitless, Songbird, Zia Jenaye, Soh Darling
J. Ivy Collaboration – Mike Lawry Baby
Two Beats Produced by Toxic – Mike Lawry Baby
One-on-One Career Consultation with Daryl Jones – Zion Ali

The annual Chicago Made Music Showcase invites all Chicagoland musicians to audition for a chance to perform before a panel of industry experts.

Following an audition to industry professional judges, musicians perform at the Chicago Made Music Showcase finale at the Chicago Cultural Center in the Claudia Cassidy Theater. Finalists at the Showcase

Finale are considered for several opportunities:

• Win 10,000 grand prize
• Live paid performance opportunities at DCASE produced events
• One-on-one career consultants with top entertainment lawyers and/or career development expects in the music industry

Sign up for the DCASE Arts Opportunities Newsletter to learn about the next Showcase!

Chicago Made efforts are led by several team members of the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. If you have questions about the programming, resources or initiatives, please reach out to CulturalResources@cityofchicago.org.