Showcase Your Talent at the 2026 Orlando Veterans Creative Arts Festival Competition

The competition will be held on Friday, August 21, 2026, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Orlando VA Medical Center – Lake Nona Campus, 4th Floor Auditorium.

Whether you’re competing or cheering on your fellow Veterans, we encourage everyone to attend this special event celebrating the creativity, resilience, and talent of our Veteran community.

“The Veterans Creative Arts Festival is more than a competition; it is a celebration of healing, resilience, and the remarkable talents of the Veterans we are honored to serve,” said Timothy Cooke, Director and CEO of the Orlando VA Healthcare System. “With Orlando hosting the National Veterans Creative Arts Festival in 2027 and 2028, we encourage every eligible Veteran to participate and help us showcase the incredible creativity within our Veteran community.”

As the Orlando VA Healthcare System (OVAHCS) prepares to host the 2027 and 2028 National Veterans Creative Arts Festival, we’re hoping for our largest participation ever. Your involvement will help showcase the incredible artistic talents of Orlando-area Veterans and make these upcoming national events a tremendous success.

How to Enter

Artwork Submission:

• Daytona VA Clinic: Monday, August 3, 2026 | 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.
• Hospital Lobby
• Lake Baldwin VA Medical Center: Wednesday, August 12, 2026 | 8 a.m. – 3 p.m.
• South Entrance Hospital Lobby (Information Desk)
• Orlando VA Medical Center – Lake Nona: Thursday, August 13, and Friday, August 14, 2026 | 8 a.m. – 3 p.m.

• Hospital Lobby (by the Grand Piano)

   

Performance Recording Sessions:

• July 21–22, 2026 | 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
• Orlando VA Medical Center – Lake Nona
• Medical Media Studio (4th Floor, Clinic Side)
• Recording sessions must be scheduled by July 10, 2026. No walk-ins will be accepted.

Creative Writing:

• Submit entries by July 31, 2026
• Email submissions to mary.verbinski@va.gov
• All entries must be submitted as a Microsoft Word document.

Eligibility:

The Orlando Veterans Creative Arts Festival Competition is open to all Veterans enrolled in VA health care through the Orlando VA Healthcare System.

Looking Ahead to the National Competition: Veterans who earn first place in this year’s local competition will be invited to represent Orlando at the 2027 National Veterans Creative Arts Festival. The 2027 national competition entry period runs from February 1 through March 15, 2027.

For complete submission requirements, category descriptions, and competition rules, scan the QR code on the attached flyer.

We look forward to seeing your creativity on display and celebrating the remarkable talents of our Veterans. 

We hope you’ll join us and be part of making this year’s festival our best one yet!

For more information, please visit: VA Orlando Health Care | Veterans Affairs, subscribe to receive email updates by clicking here, like us on Facebook at: @OVAHCS, follow us on Instagram at: @OVAHCS, or on Twitter at: @OVAHCS.

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Established in October 2006, the Orlando VA Healthcare System (OVAHCS) was designated a 1a facility (most complex) in 2021, with more than 5,660 employees and an annual budget of $1.5B and serves more than 131,000 Veterans in Central Florida. The Orlando VA Medical Center at Lake Nona provides outpatient, inpatient and emergency services. Lake Nona’s 65-acre medical campus encompasses 134 acute inpatient beds, providing complex Medical/Surgical/Mental Health specialty care, advanced diagnostic services, and a large multispecialty outpatient clinic, as well as a 120-bed Community Living Center, two Mental Health Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Programs/Domiciliaries (60-beds located at the Lake Nona Campus and 58-beds at the Lake Baldwin Campus). Outpatient services are provided at a Health Care Center in Viera, a Multispecialty Community Based Outpatient Clinic in Daytona Beach, and five Community-Based Outpatient Clinics located in Clermont, Lake Baldwin, Kissimmee, Deltona, Palm Bay and Tavares.