The Jim Pattison Broadcast Group is committed to newly emerging Canadian musical artists through CRTC Canadian Content Development programming.

Project WILD is a professional development program designed to educate, promote, develop and launch the careers of some of Alberta's up and coming country and roots artists. This year twelve Albertan artists will be awarded a $5,000 Development award and will all participate in an intense, one week, career-changing music and music industry boot camp, where they will be pushed to the very limit of what they can achieve as artists.

Project WILD, is part of a seven year, $4.9 million program, designed to kick-start the international music careers of 3 emerging Alberta artists annually. The project is administered by Alberta Music (Alberta Music Industry Association) and funded by WILD 953 - Calgary's New Country, through CRTC approved Canadian Content Development Funding.

This is the fourth year for Project WILD - Country Artist Development. Previous Top 3 winners in 2018 have been, The Prairie States, Ryan Langlois and Leaving Thomas. Brad Saunders, Nice Horse and Tanya Ryan were the Top 3 in 2017, and, The Dungarees, Sykamore and Ken Stead in 2016. For the first two years in Alberta the program had been known as the PEAK Performance Project, which also ran as a program in BC for seven years. Project WILD will run in Alberta for the next two years.