Creative Arts Competition
Entries are being sought for the 2025 Milwaukee VA Veterans Creative Arts Competition. Categories are art, creative writing, dance, drama and music. The deadline for entries is Aug. 1, 2025.
See this year's entries
Click here to see the 2025 entries in the Milwaukee VA's Creative Arts Competition.
2025 Creative Arts Competition
This competition is open to Veterans who are eligible to receive care through the Department of Veterans Affairs AND are enrolled at the Milwaukee VA Medical Center, one of its outpatient clinics, or the Vets Center.
Veterans must work with a staff person from the VA facility where they are enrolled to submit entries into the competition.
The competition includes categories in the visual arts division that range from oil painting to leatherwork to paint-by-number kits. In addition, there are categories in writing as well as the performing arts of dance, drama and music.
Local creative arts competition first-place winners advance to a national judging process, and first-, second- and third-place entries in each category are determined. Selected gold-medal-winning Veterans are invited to attend the National Veterans Creative Arts Festival hosted by a different VA facility each year.
Key dates to note
- Milwaukee VA competition deadline: Friday, Aug. 1, 2025
- Entries must have been completed/recorded after Oct. 1, 2024
- By Oct. 1, 2025, VA facilities will send their top finalists in each category to the national level of the competition.
- National competition winners will be judged and announced in December.
- Check back on this website — https://department.va.gov/veteran-sports/national-veterans-creative-arts-festival/ — for the results which will be posted in January 2026.
Come see the shows!
An exhibition of the visual arts entries will be 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Aug. 12 and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Aug. 13, 2025, at the Milwaukee VA Medical Center, 5000 W. National Ave., in the Recreation Hall, Room 3435
Music, drama, dance and creative writing stage show will take place 1-3 p.m. Aug. 14, 2025, at the Milwaukee VA Medical Center, 5000 W. National Ave., in the Recreation Hall, Room 3435
Rules and entry forms
Click on the links below to download the rules and entry forms for the 2024 Creative Arts Competition:
Visual Art
2025 Creative Arts Competition — Visual Art Division Rules, Entry and Consent Forms.
Submit Art Division artwork and entry forms to:
Angie Thatcher
Milwaukee VA Medical Center
5000 W. National Ave. Bldg. 43, Room A219
Phone:
Application deadline: Aug. 1, 2025
Artwork drop-off dates and location:
8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. July 24-25, 2025
Building 70, Room 70-C-14
Creative Writing
Submit Creative Writing Division content and entry forms to:
Courtney Zeller
Milwaukee VA Medical Center
5000 W. National Ave., Bldg. 43, Rm. A219
Phone:
Application deadline: Aug. 1, 2025
Music
2025 Creative Arts Competition - Music Division Rules, Categories, Entry and Consent Forms
Submit Performing Arts Music Division content and entry forms to:
Caitlin Armson
Milwaukee VA Medical Center
5000 W. National Ave., Building 111, Room 10227
Phone:
Application deadline: Aug. 1, 2025
Dance
2025 Creative Arts Competition - Dance Division Rules, Categories, Entry and Consent Forms
Submit Performing Arts Dance Division content and entry forms to:
Caitlin Armson
Milwaukee VA Medical Center
5000 W. National Ave., Building 111, Room 10227
Phone:
Application deadline: Aug. 1, 2025
Drama
2025 Creative Arts Competition - Drama Division Rules, Categories, Entry and Consent Forms
Submit Performing Arts Drama Division content and entry forms to:
Caitlin Armson
Milwaukee VA Medical Center
5000 W. National Ave., Building 111, Room 10227
Phone:
Application deadline: Aug. 1, 2025
Consent forms
Click here for Form 3203: Consent for Production and Use of Verbal or Written Statements, Photographs, Digital Images, and/or Video or Audio Recordings by VA