Since the Military Child Education Coalition (MCEC) began the “Call for the Arts” in 2002, thousands of military children – from all over the world, from every branch of service, in grades PreK-12 – have submitted their drawings, their poems, and their interpretations of what it means to be a military child. The MCEC takes advantage of every opportunity to display the artistic skill of these unique, resilient children.

Topics include parents/family, transitions/changes, military lifestyle, the life lessons learned, teachers/schools, cultures experienced, and wishes, hopes, & dreams.  Military children and families are often in transition with parents who may be deployed multiple times, and are stationed at bases in foreign countries.  Many stateside Boards of Education consider these children to be at-risk due to the transient nature of their homelife, moving every three years on average. Expressing the military experience through the arts allows the students to embrace their culture and their role in the military continuum.

Artwork in the visual arts is featured at the MCEC Annual conference each year. It is utilized in the On The Move magazine, the annual calendar, the annual conference program, and other MCEC publications. Film is considered for display at the Annual Training Seminar each year. This year's submissions must include the Official Submission Form and be postmarked by the last Friday in January 2015.