11/20/2025
VCCS – Visual Art Luminary & Poet Laureate 2026 Competitions
Virginia’s Community Colleges are inviting students to enter the 2025-2026 Visual Art Luminary and Poet Laureate Competition. “I Dream” is the theme for 2025-2026 competitions.
The competitions provide students the opportunity to express themselves creatively, verbally and visually. Each college will select its own poet laureate and visual art luminary. College winners will advance to the state competition, scheduled for March at Virginia Western Community College in Roanoke.
Both the Visual Art Luminary award and the Poet Laureate competition are open to all students who are enrolled at least part-time in adult education, dual enrollment/early college, workforce credential, certificate, or degree programs at a participating Virginia Community College in Summer 2025, Fall 2025, and/or Spring 2026.
The BRCC deadline to apply is February 8, 2026, with the application online here (Google form).
Accepted works should be created in 2025 – early 2026.
Visual art works may include: drawing, mixed media, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics. We are unable to accept works of video, film, performance art, jewelry, or craft. Artworks created using artificial intelligence (AI-ART) are not eligible.
Poet Laureate works may be poems and prose poems. Works created with the assistance of artificial intelligence are not eligible.
For more details, including rules, visit the competitions website.
Contacts:
BRCC Poet Laureate Coordinator: Alissa Cruz, cruza@brcc.edu
BRCC Visual Art Luminary Coordinator: Jessica Martinkosky, martinkoskyj@brcc.edu