Airmen and their families seeking to express themselves creatively can enter the 2016 Air Force Art Contest.

The contest, sponsored by the Air Force Services Activity, is designed to feature, highlight, and celebrate art created by Airmen and their families, said Jon Grammer, AFSVA director of programs. 

“Art provides stress relief, and that enhances readiness and resiliency within our Airmen,” Grammer said. “Art is a form of therapy and relaxation, which enables people to destress anywhere and anytime. This contest allows everyone ages 6 and up to show their creativity with minimal tools.”

From Nov. 1-30, artists can upload up to three images of their two-dimensional paintings or drawings on any subject to www.myairforcelife.com/arts. Art accepted includes oil; watercolor; acrylic; pastel; mixed media; gouache; egg tempera; and pen and ink. The drawings include graphite; charcoal; colored pencils; scratch board; markers, and metal point.

In the past, AFSVA offered a gallery showcase where participants took their artwork to their installation’s arts and crafts centers. Managers would then take pictures of the work and upload it to the website.

“Now, participants can upload from their computer, making it easier and more convenient to participate in the art contest,” said Sandy Hillard, AFSVA community and leisure branch chief. “We have 69 arts and crafts centers; however, this contest reaches everyone across the globe, even those without an arts and crafts center.

“We’ve been researching new programs to enhance our arts and crafts activities; however, our customers requested contests,” Hillard said. “During our research, we found our customers like to be recognized, so we decided to offer the art contest on the internet and allow participants to share their artwork with their family and friends. The online art contest concept fit perfectly with the latest and greatest in technology trends. We wanted to ensure Airmen not interested in extreme adventure had other opportunities to choose from.”

The contest is divided into adult and youth categories. The adult category is split into novice and accomplished divisions. Novice refers to individuals whose skills weren’t obtained via formal training, while accomplished means participants whose skills were obtained through formal education or who have won awards in other competitions.

The youth categories are divided into children, ages 6-8; pre-teens, ages 9-12; and teens ages 13-17.

A panel of art experts will judge the contestand select first through third place for each category. The first-place winner in each category will receive a $300 Amazon gift card; second place a $200 gift card; and third place a $100 card.

AFSVA will announce the winners Jan. 30.

For more information, visit here.