Life as a military child can be a wild ride, full of adventures and challenges, as well as new friends, new schools, new cities and new countries. Here at the USO, we want to know what YOUR military life has been like and what makes it unique so that we can share your story with the world.

Whether you express it by art or in writing – via painting or sketches, essays or poems – we want military kids to answer one question:

What does being a military kid mean to you?

Showcase Categories

There will be 3 categories for this creative showcase:

• Writing -Youth (Ages 12 and younger)
• Writing -Teen (Ages 13-18)
• Visual Art (All kids ages 18 and younger)

Eligibility

The USO Military Kid Creative Showcase is open to any U.S. military child of an active-duty, Reserve or National Guard service member. Participants must be ages 18 or younger.

Showcase Rules

• Submissions are due by 11:59 p.m. EST on April 30, 2025.
• One submission per category.
• Open to children of currently serving active duty, Reserve and National Guard service members.
• The online submission form must be completed by a parent or legal guardian of the minor and sent via the online form. Parents/legal guardians must fill out the submission form to provide consent for their minor’s participation in the showcase.
• For visual artwork entries, simply take a picture of your child’s artwork or scan and upload. For writing entries, please upload your submission as a Microsoft Word document or PDF.
• Writing -Youth submissions must be approximately 75-500 words.
• Writing -Teen submissions must be approximately 500-1,000 words.
• English language requirement for writing.
• Only original art and writing will be accepted.

As part of the USO Military Kids Creative Showcase, we offer a downloadable artwork canvas for kids to express themselves freely. Please note that the use of these frames is entirely optional, allowing children to showcase their creativity in any format they prefer.

Download your canvas here!