VA250 Visionary Sovereign Voices Youth Competition

April 24 – 25, 2026
Williamsburg, VA

On behalf of the VA250 Commission, the Virginia Tribal Nations Leadership Advisory Council, and the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, and in partnership with the United South and Eastern Tribes Sovereignty Protection Fund (USET SPF), we invite you to enter our Visionary Sovereign Voices competition!

VA250 is holding an event in Williamsburg, VA, on April 24 – 25, 2026, centering the unvarnished history and lived experiences of Tribal Nations who stewarded these lands long before the Declaration of Independence. The event, “Our Inherently Sovereign Status & Existence as Tribal Nations: Exploring and Understanding a Unique, Complicated, and Intertwined Diplomatic Relationship with the United States,” will feature five youth writers and artists reading or performing their work.

We are looking for artists and writers to respond to and be inspired by the following prompt:

• What does the American 250th Semiquincentennial mean to you as a dual citizen indigenous person?
• What is your dream and vision as we move forward to a more appropriate and respectful sovereign-to-sovereign relationship?

Winners will be awarded $500 and invited to attend (airfare and lodging will be covered) in person the “Our Inherently Sovereign Status & Existence as Tribal Nations: Exploring and Understanding a Unique, Complicated, and Intertwined Diplomatic Relationship with the United States” event on April 24-25 to read aloud (e.g., poem or essay) or perform their art (e.g., song or interpretive dance).

Submission Eligibility

• Between the ages of 18 and 24 years old (on the application deadline)
• Enrolled Native American indigenous youth, or a descendant of an enrolled citizen

Deadline

Submissions are due by 11:59 pm Eastern on Sunday, March 22, 2026.
Late submissions will not be accepted or considered.
 

Rules and Restrictions

1. Each submitted piece must be the writer/artist’s own, original work and may not infringe on the rights of another person.
2. Each writer/artist may submit one (1) piece for the contest with a description of up to 100 words, and each piece must be read aloud or performed in less than five (5) minutes.
3. Entries must be submitted by 11:59 pm Eastern on Sunday, March 22, 2026.
4. Winners will be notified via email no later than Friday, April 10.
5. Ownership: Winning artists will retain ownership of all of their copyrights regarding their works, while granting VA250 a free right to reproduce their work in communications about VA250 (press releases, publications on the website, publications on social networks, etc.) for an unlimited period of time.
6. Submission
   1. Text (e.g., essay or poem) may be either copied and pasted into the submission form or uploaded as a document or PDF.
   2. Due to the large file sizes involved, audio/video files (e.g., songs or dance performances) must be sent using a file hosting service such as Dropbox, WeTransfer, or Google Drive, or shared via a video hosting service such as YouTube or Vimeo. The download/view link must be provided via the submission form.
7. Winners performing songs or dance must provide backing or accompanying music tracks in advance of the April 25 event.

Questions?

Please contact us at VisionarySovereignVoices@usetinc.org.