On My Own Time™
Business Council for the Arts (BCA) On My Own Time™ (OMOT) is a trademarked arts competition offering businesses and their employees the opportunity to showcase their literary and visual arts talents.
View 2026 OMOT Submissions From Participating Companies in Our Digital Gallery
2026 Event Photo Galleries
Opening Reception at NorthPark Center
Literary Night at Dallas College
On My Own Time™ by the Numbers
Pieces of art submitted
Artists participated
Companies participated
2027 On My Own Time™: Details Coming Soon
The 2026 competition has wrapped, and we’re already planning 2027. The submission deadline, exhibition dates and Literary Night will be posted here as soon as they’re set. In the meantime, here’s what your company gets when it takes part:
- An art and writing competition open to every employee
- A digital gallery of your company’s submissions on ntbca.org
- Juried selection, with winning work shown at the Regional Art Show at NorthPark Center
- An opening reception for artists, their families and colleagues
- Literary Night, a live reading for your writers
- Liaison resources and support from our team to run the program in-house
Program Timeline
2027 dates will be announced soon. For reference, the 2026 program ran on this schedule:
July 7: Artist Submission Deadline
September 16 – October 5: Regional Art Show at NorthPark Center
October 15: Literary Night Event
Competition
The NorthPark OMOT exhibition is one of the highlights of this program! Below are guidelines that give you the best chance for your work to be on display!
How OMOT Benefits Participants
- Sparks creativity and inclusion in the workplace
- Connects employees from diverse personal and industry backgrounds
- Enriches employee experience and strengthens company culture
- Creates dialogue between employees and the arts community
- Engages employees vertically and horizontally
- Offers recognition of company creative visual art at NorthPark Center or written work at Literary Night in front of a live audience of family, friends, and colleagues
Register for the 2027 On My Own Time™ Competition
You can bring the magic of OMOT to your business. Join us for the 2027 On My Own Time™ competition!
Contact COO & Head of Programs Jill VanGorden at [email protected] to learn more about bringing On My Own Time™ to your company.