Application deadline: 30th March 2026
Rank Order
Jenson Elsworth
Jenson Elsworth is a 24-year-old artist from Malta whose life has always been deeply connected to creativity. Although he initially believed art could only exist through painting or drawing, he later discovered his true passions in creative writing and dance. His love for storytelling, journalling, and movement gradually shaped his artistic identity and led him to pursue these creative paths more seriously.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, Jenson began sharing his writing publicly through his Facebook page, Mill-Pinna ta’ Jenson, where he expresses his passion for the Maltese language through poetry and short stories. Over the years, he has collaborated with organisations such as bay.com.mt, TEK TEK, and Strada Rjali, while also participating in poetry competitions.
Jenson is the author of two published books. His first, published in 2021, is a collection of Maltese short stories inspired by everyday life, relationships, youth experiences, and elements of fiction and surrealism. His second book, published in 2024 through a project by Aġenzija Żgħażagħ and mentored by Professor Adrian Grima, explores domestic violence and the journey towards healing and support. He is currently developing his third book, combining his passion for storytelling and dance.
Alongside writing, dance has become another important creative outlet in his life, leading him to perform on the stage of the University of Malta, as well as participate in theatre productions and contemporary dance training.
Professionally, Jenson works as a warranted youth worker and community development worker, where creativity, youth empowerment, and community engagement remain at the centre of his work and values.
Shaian Debono
Shaian Debono is a 23-year-old artist who has spent the past ten years training intensively in both drama and singing. Throughout her career, she has had the opportunity to take part in a variety of productions, both on stage and on television. Among her main projects are her musical theatre training with Company One Eleven in 2021 under the direction of Denise Mulholland, her participation in the Teatru Manoel Youth Training programme in 2021, Caravaggio – The Musical at Dar il-Mediterran in 2022, the psychological drama Vjola in 2022 with the theatre company 4jays, and the play Meta l-Kotra ma Qamitx at Spazju Kreattiv, staged in December 2024 under the direction of Jeremy Grech and Carlos Farrugia.
More recently, in June of this year, she also had the opportunity to experiment with Theatre of the Absurd through the performance Il-Wieħed u Sebgħin, written and directed by Brandon Terribile, as part of the short play festival Skeċċ, which also took place at Spazju Kreattiv.
In singing, Shaian has also represented Malta in international festivals, including the Il Cantagiro festival in Rome in 2015, where she placed first, and the Bled Golden Microphone festival in Slovenia in 2017, where she won the Best Foreign Singer award. In March 2023, Shaian also had the opportunity to perform “In His Eyes” from the musical Jekyll and Hyde with a live orchestra in Catania, Sicily.
For Shaian, drama is an essential part of her life, which is why she chose to continue her studies in theatre at tertiary level. Alongside her career as an actress, she is also a drama teacher, working to train and inspire children in the field of theatrical arts.
Jade Vella
Jade Vella (b.2002) is currently finishing her studies of the Bachelor of Science in the Built Environment in Architecture. She carries her sketchbook with her everywhere and sketches what she observes and experiences from architecture to live shows. She mostly uses ink and watercolour to quickly capture visuals. Apart from painting, she also carves names and small motifs in limestone.
Jamie-Attard Biancardi
The artist’s practice centres on exploration, observation, and a continual engagement with the act of learning. Every work, whether drawn from life, imagination, or reference, is approached as part of an ongoing process of understanding form, material, and meaning. They consider themselves a perpetual student of art, much like Antoine Camilleri, whose dedication to experimentation and reflection deeply resonates with their artistic philosophy.
The works produced, both through academic studies and personal practice, reflect a strong interest in how perception and emotion are translated through mark-making. Working primarily in graphite, ink, and gouache, the artist is drawn to the ability of these media to capture both precision and immediacy. Through them, they explore subjects ranging from still life and portraiture to studies inspired by nature and art history.
Their creative process often appears instinctive and chaotic at first glance, a space where loose lines and spontaneous gestures gradually build towards coherence. The artist finds satisfaction in deriving order from this chaos, bringing life and form out of seeming disorder. Each mark becomes a negotiation between structure and spontaneity, control and intuition.
Their inspiration frequently stems from artists they have both studied and met personally, including Zvezdan Reljić, Debbie Caruana Dingli, and Ġulja Holland. These diverse artistic influences continue to shape their pursuit of authenticity, growth, and deeper creative awareness. Each piece created becomes an exercise in observation and introspection, bridging learning with artistic expression.
Gianluca Abdilla Castillo
Gianluca Abdilla Castillo is an aspiring singer-songwriter whose work centres on original composition, live performance and musical expression. His passion for singing began at age eight in his school choir and developed through years of classical and contemporary vocal training. Early highlights include performing the lead role in a children’s opera at the Manoel Theatre and participating in an oratorio with a local band club, as well as several years of singing with the Joseph Calleja Children’s Choir and St John’s Co-Cathedral Children’s Choir. In recent years, Gianluca has focused on songwriting, music production and live performance. He was selected for SongCraft 2025, a mentorship programme by Agenzija Zghazagh, and performed original compositions during its final showcase. He has since performed at events including Mumenti, Rockwired and the Kantamaghna Festival, while also founding Spellbound, a five-piece band performing live across local venues. Gianluca’s work is driven by a desire to explore social themes such as mental health, inclusion and belonging through music. He is particularly interested in collaborative creative processes and aims to continue developing original projects that connect with audiences and communicate meaningful ideas through performance and composition.
