2025 Creative Arts Festival Entry Information

By Jackie Stevenson, Public Affairs Specialist
2025 Creative Arts Festival Entry Information
National Veterans Creative Arts Program and Competition
VA medical facilities incorporate creative arts into their therapy programs to further the rehabilitation for both inpatients and outpatients. This annual competition recognizes the progress and recovery made through that therapy and raises the visibility of the creative achievements of our Nation’s Veterans. The competition is an annual event that provides Veterans receiving treatment at VA facilities the opportunity to participate in creative self-expression in art, creative writing, dance, drama and music as part of their therapy, and to gain recognition for these artistic accomplishments.
All entries placing in the top three locally will advance to the national level where they will compete with entries submitted by Veterans from other VA facilities from across the country. Selected first-place-winning Veterans are invited to attend the National Veterans Creative Arts Festival (hyperlink) https://department.va.gov/veteran-sports/national-veterans-creative-art…
To enter the competition, contact Madge Scherer 320-252-1670 ext. 7336 or 320-469-6658
Print and share the 2025 Creative Arts Flyer
Competition Rules Overview
- To participate, Veterans must be eligible for VA health care and enrolled in the VA health care system PRIOR to entering the competition.
- All work must have been created after October 1, 2024 (with the exception of Military Combat Experience entries)
- St. Cloud VA Health Care System (VAHCS)reserves the right to withhold entries from public viewing if needed.
- All VISUAL ART entries must be framed and ready to hang – no glass
- Veterans can enter up to 3 categories in EACH DIVISION, but only 1 entry per category
- Must complete registration and consent forms
- All possible care will be taken in handling items submitted for judging; however, St. Cloud VAHCS cannot be responsible for any loss or damage.
2025 Submission Deadline
Friday, September 5th, 2025
2025 Visual Art Entries
All entries must be brought to the Auditorium, Building 8
Please note: NO ACCESS AT BUILDING 8
Wed August 27, 10 a.m. - noon
Thurs August 28, 2 - 4 p.m.
Wed Sept 3, 10 a.m. - noon
Thurs Sept 4, 1- 3 p.m.
Fri Sept 5, noon - 4 p.m.
Art Entry Pick Up Times
Appointments are required
2025 Entries in All Other Divisions
Appointment required
2025 Art Show Hours Auditorium, Building 8
Wednesday, Sept 10, 2025 12 - 6 p.m.
Thursday, Sept 11, 2025 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.
**New this year**
Show and Tell Artistic Showcase
The Show and Tell Artistic Showcase IS NOT a juried category in the competition.
2025 Artistic Showcase Word: JOY
SHOW US and TELL US how engaging in the creative arts brings you JOY. Sharing what brings you joy may inspire others to experience joy as well.
This intent of the showcase is to show the therapeutic value of the creative arts and how engaging in the arts is therapeutic to Veteran health and wellbeing.
Veterans participating in the Show and Tell Artistic Showcase will not receive an invitation to attend the Festival. Submissions will not be shipped/sent to the Festival.
Submissions that meet the requirements may be selected for inclusion in an electronic booklet to be posted on the www.creativeartsfestival.va.gov website by April, 2026. (For copyright reasons, it should be expected that only excerpts of creative writing pieces and still images of performance entries will be shown in the booklet. Not all write-ups will be included.)
SHOW US what JOY means to you AND TELL US how your artistic piece brings you joy.
VISUAL ART CATEGORIES
- Acrylic Painting
- Oil Painting
- Watercolor
- Pastels
- Monochromatic Drawing
- Colored Drawing
- Craft Coloring Kit
- Color by Number Kit
- Suncatcher or Sand Art Kit
- Black and White Photography
- Color Photography
- Digital Art
- Pyrography
- Transfer/Engraving Art Kit
- Printmaking
- Collage
- Assemblage
- Diorama
- Combined Kit
- Mixed Media
- Sculpture
- Pottery
- Slip-Cast Ceramics
- Stained or Painted Figurines
- Figurine Painting Kit
- Scroll Saw/Fretwork
- Carving
- Woodworking/Lathe Work
- Wood Building Kit
- Model Building Kit
- Metalwork
- Jewelry (not beads)
- Beadwork
- Glasswork
- Mosaic
- Mosaic Kit
- Crocheting/Knitting/Knotting
- Fiber Arts Original Design
- Fiber Arts Pattern
- Fiber Arts Kit
- Needlework Original Design
- Needlework Pattern
- Needlework Kit
- Leather Kit
- Leather Carving/Tooling/Stamping
- Physical Health Recovery
- Mental Health Recovery
- Combat Experience
- Group Art
CREATIVE WRITING CATEGORIES
- Rhyming Poetry-Military Experience - no longer than 48 text lines
- Rhyming Poetry-Inspirational - no longer than 48 text lines
- Rhyming Poetry-General Topic - no longer than 48 text lines
- Non-Rhyming Poetry-Military Experience - no longer than 48 text lines
- Non-Rhyming Poetry-Inspirational - no longer than 48 text lines
- Non-Rhyming Poetry-General Topic - no longer than 48 text lines
- Short, Short Story-Military Experience - no longer than 1,000 words
- Short, Short Story-Inspirational - no longer than 1,000 words
- Short, Short Story-General Topic - no longer than 1,000 words
- Personal Essay – An essay, no longer than 850 words
- Short Script –Entries in this category must not exceed 850 words
- Humor –Poetry entries should be no longer than 48 lines and prose entries must not exceed 850 words
- Special Recognition - Poetry entries should be no longer than 48 lines and prose entries must not exceed 1,000 words
DANCE CATEGORIES
- Ballroom
- Latin Ballroom
- Country/Western/Folk/Ethnic/Cultural
- Modern/Contemporary
- Tap, Jazz or Ballet
- Line Dance
- Interpretive Movement
- Freestyle/Hip-Hop
- Novelty
- Dance Challenge
Special Recognition
DRAMA CATEGORIES
- Dramatic Prose
- Patriotic Prose
- Inspirational Prose
- Comedy Prose
- Dramatic Poetry
- Patriotic Poetry
- Inspirational Poetry
- Comedy Poetry
- Interpretive Performance-Dramatic
- Interpretive Performance-Novelty
- Short Video-Military Theme
- Short Video-General Theme
- Special Recognition
MUSIC CATEGORIES
- Vocal Solo Country/Folk/Bluegrass
- Vocal Solo Pop
- Vocal Solo Rock/Blues
- Vocal Group Country/Folk/Bluegrass
- Vocal Group Pop
- Vocal Group Rock/Blues
- Vocal Rap/Hip Hop - Solo or group
- Vocal Classical/World/Ethnic- Solo or group
- Vocal Jazz - Solo or group
- Vocal R&B/Soul/Funk - Solo or group
- Vocal Broadway - Solo or group
- Vocal Patriotic - Solo or group
- Vocal Spiritual - Solo or group
- Original Vocal - General Topic - Solo or group
- Original Vocal - Military Experience - Solo or group
- Instrumental Solo Pop
- Instrumental Solo Jazz/R&B/Soul
- Instrumental Solo Spiritual
- Instrumental Solo World/Ethnic
- Instrumental Solo Drums/Percussion
- Instrumental Group Pop/Jazz/R&B/Soul
- Instrumental Group Spiritual/World/Ethnic/Drums/Percussion
- Instrumental Country/Folk/Bluegrass – Solo or group
- Instrumental Rock/Blues – Solo or group
- Instrumental Broadway - Solo or group
- Instrumental Patriotic - Solo or group
- Instrumental Classical - Solo or group
- Original Instrumental - Solo or group
- Band/Ensemble – Country/Folk/Bluegrass/Pop
- Band/Ensemble – Jazz/R&B/Soul/Rock/Blues
- Special Recognition – Solo or group