The 2023 annual contest submission period opens February 17, and runs through April 7. Winners will be announced at the end of April in honor of the Month of the Military Child. Entries may be submitted from military children living in the U.S. and abroad.
2023 Theme: “Winds of Change”
Like the dandelion, military kids go where the wind blows them and grow where they land. This year we ask military children: How do you fly on the “Winds of Change?”
Art Contest
The art contest promotes art among military children in grades 1–6 of active duty or retired (with 20+ years of service) members of the Armed Services, National Guard, or Reserves.
Essay Contest
The contest encourages military children to use creative writing to express themselves. The essay contest is open to military children in grades 1–12 of active duty or retired (with 20+ years of service) members of the Armed Services, National Guard, or Reserves.
The Art and Essay contest is open to children of currently serving military (active duty, National Guard, or reserves) and retired service members (with 20+ years of service).
Artwork submissions are limited to children in grades 1 through 6.
Essay submissions are open to children in grades 1 through 12.
The ASYMCA is uses an online submission process. Eligible participants can click the link to "Submit an Entry." The entry form is in two parts: the first part collects the child's information and includes a button to upload their submission; the second part collects information about their military sponsor.
For artwork, you can upload a pdf, png, or jpeg file.
For essays, you can upload .doc, .docx, .rtf, or .txt files.
The ASYMCA will collect your information for the purposes of this contest, which will include judging, awards, and digital publication of all submissions.
The ASYMCA will not sell or share your personal contact information to 3rd parties for the purpose of solicitation, but we will share limited information for the purposes of shipping prizes and for creating awareness (website, social media, printed collateral, etc). The limited information we share in regard to awareness usually includes the child's name, age, service branch, and their submitted creative work.
For an example of how submitted info and works are shared, please see the 2022 Winners section below, which includes links to last year's digital publication.
The Art Contest is specifically for children grades 1-6. Winners were selected based on age range and received a Kindle Fire tablet. The theme for 2021 was “The Wisdom of a Military Child.”
Children grades 1-12 are encouraged to participate in the Essay Contest. Winners were selected based on age ranges, and received a Kindle Fire tablet. The theme for 2021 was “The Wisdom of a Military Child.”
