MCEC Call for the Arts: Expressing What It Means to Be a Military Child

Since 2002, thousands of military-connected children have shared their experiences, dreams, and challenges through art. The Military Child Education Coalition® (MCEC®) Call for the Arts program invites military- connected children from all over the world, representing every branch of service, to share interpretations through art of what it means to be a military-connected child.

The 2025 Call for the Arts received nearly 300 works of art, inspiring us with creative expressions of strength, bravery, pride, and community. We are so thankful to the student artists who shared their talents, and to the parents and teachers who shared this opportunity with them. Congratulations to this year’s winning artists:

Elementary School Winners

Selene, Ainsley, Jordan and Nolan charmed and touched us with their pride in parents, the U.S. military, and self, as well as their strength in identity.

• First Place: Selene K., “Flying on an Eagle,” Grade 2, Army
• Second Place: Ainsley M., “The Strength of the Dandelion,” Grade 4, Air Force
• Third Place: Jordan M., “Mom and Me,” Grade 1, Coast Guard
• Spotlight Winner: Nolan J., “Water Helicopter,” Grade 2, Air Force

Middle School Winners

A wide variety of mediums emerged from our middle school artists. Ayla’s use of texture, Iris’s first animation creation, Berkeley’s eloquent prose, and Maia’s symbolic optimism — amazing!

• First Place: Ayla F., “Difference,” Grade 8, Navy (retired)
• Second Place: Iris L., “The Military Child I Came to Be,” Grade 7, Air Force
• Third Place: Berkeley D., “Three words,” Grade 8, Air Force
• Spotlight Winner: Maia P., “Strong, Beautiful Dandelions,” Grade 8, Army

The high school category is often a show of artistic mastery. Breanna, Alexa and Ansley show skills with a paintbrush in three very different styles, and Janiece shows skillful handling of digital media.

“Being a military kid means moving to different places, meeting new people. My illustration represents my struggle with what state to consider home, just like other military kids, home is many different places. I’m thankful that the military has given me the opportunity to experience different ways of living. I’m able to adjust to different challenges, and I’m always ready for change.” ~ Janiece, 3rd Place Winner

High School Winners

• First Place: Breanna P., “Heroic and Historic,” Grade 11, Coast Guard
• Second Place: Alexa V., “My Childhood, My Present, My Life” Grade 12, Army
• Third Place: Janiece M., “700,800,” Grade 12, Air Force
• Spotlight Winner: Ansley M., “Brother”, Grade 11, Marine + Army

All of these talented artists’ works can be viewed in our gallery of winners on the MCEC website here.

For media inquiries:

Please contact the MCEC Director of Marketing, Karen Kirk, at Karen.Kirk@MilitaryChild.org , for questions about this release.

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About the Military Child Education Coalition:
MCEC® is a 501(c)(3) global nonprofit leadership, service delivery, and advocacy organization. MCEC supports all military-connected children by educating, advocating, and collaborating to resolve education challenges associated with the military lifestyle. Learn more about the national advocacy efforts of MCEC at MilitaryChild.org and on social media at Facebook, X, and LinkedIn.