2025 creative arts festival entry information | va st cloud health care | veterans affairs

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