Virginia Beach to honor 2026 Champion for the Arts recipients Aug. 6
Virginia Beach will recognize Betsy Atkinson as its 2026 Champion for the Arts and John Brewington as its inaugural Champion for the Arts Educator during a public ceremony Thursday, Aug. 6.
The event is scheduled from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Sandler Center for the Performing Arts, 201 Market St. The city says the ceremony is free and open to the public.
The honors are presented through the Virginia Beach Arts & Humanities Commission and recognize people whose leadership, generosity and advocacy strengthen the city’s arts and cultural life. The awards place public attention on two forms of community arts leadership: broader support for the arts and work in arts education.
Recipients and public recognition
Atkinson was selected as Virginia Beach’s 2026 Champion for the Arts. Brewington was selected for the newly established Champion for the Arts Educator honor, making him the first recipient in that award category.
The Aug. 6 gathering will provide the public recognition component of the awards program. It is being held at the Sandler Center, a city performing-arts venue in Town Center, according to the city’s event announcement.
For residents and members of the cultural community, the ceremony is an opportunity to mark local contributions to arts advocacy, philanthropy and education. The city describes the awards as recognition for individuals who help strengthen Virginia Beach’s cultural life, rather than as a monetary award program.
Connection to Arts Plan 2030
Virginia Beach said its arts awards were developed alongside Arts Plan 2030, the city’s first strategic plan for the arts. That connection puts the annual recognition program within the city’s longer-term arts-planning effort.
Arts Plan 2030 is referenced by name in the city announcement, but the announcement does not specify funding for the ceremony or a monetary value for either honor. It also does not state an attendance cap or whether the event will be livestreamed.
Attendance details
The city requested that attendees RSVP by July 23, ahead of the Aug. 6 ceremony. The announcement describes the event as free and open to the public; it does not say that admission requires payment or identify a ticket price.
The ceremony’s scheduled date falls shortly after the July RSVP request. People seeking to attend can consult the city’s event information for any updated attendance instructions.
Sources
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