John Boehner 8TH DISCTRICT OF OHIO

The Congressional Art Competition showcases the artistic talents of 8th District high school students.  Students may submit up to three pieces of artwork for judging by an independent panel made up of individuals from the 8th Congressional District who are involved in the arts.  Students will be eligible for one award each.

The competition is open to students in grades nine through 12 who are residents of the 8th Congressional District; students in seventh and eighth grades may participate if those classes are contained in the same building as grades nine through 12.  Artwork will be displayed for two weeks at the Fitton Center for Creative Arts in Hamilton.  An awards ceremony will be held April 19 to announce the winners.  The first place winning artwork will hang in the U.S. Capitol, along with the works of other students from around the country, for one year.  Runners up will have their art work displayed in the West Chester or Troy district offices.

The First Place Winner is eligible to receive a scholarship to the Savannah College of Art and Design, if he or she is accepted to the school, and two round-trip plane tickets courtesy of Southwest Airlines to attend the awards ceremony in Washington, D.C., on June 17.

Contact the West Chester District Office for more information.


Important Dates

April 12 at NOON:  FINAL day to submit artwork to either the Troy and West Chester district offices

April 13 - 26:  All artwork will be displayed at the Fitton Center for Creative Arts in Hamilton.  Gallery Hours are Monday Through Thursday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.  Admission is free. 
 
April 19:  Awards Ceremony at Fitton Center for Creative Arts from 5 to 7 p.m.

June 15:  Last Day to pick up artwork from Congressman Boehner's office

June 17:  National Winners' Reception in Washington, D.C.

GUIDELINES:

• Each piece can be no larger than 28”x28”x4” including the frame and can weigh no more than 15 lbs.

• Each entry must be original in concept, design, and execution, and may not violate any U.S. copyright laws.  Any entry that has been produced from an existing photo that is not owned by the student-artist, painting, graphic, advertisement or any other work produced by another person is a violation of the competition rules and will not be accepted.  Artwork of a violent or graphic nature will not be accepted.

Artwork from the following categories will be accepted:

Paintings: oil, acrylics, watercolors, etc.

Drawings: pastels, colored pencil, pencil, charcoal, ink, markers

Collage: must be two dimensional

Prints: lithographs silkscreen, block prints

Mixed Media: use or more than two mediums such as pencil, ink, etc.

Computer-generated art

Photography


Previous winners

2009: First place awarded to Megan Long, Junior, Monroe High School for "Vein," a photograph of the artists' eye.

• 2nd Place: Will Doughman, Sophomore, Lakota West High School for "9/11."  Medium: Fingerprint and ink.

• 3rd Place:  Rachael Engel, Senior, Chaminade Julienne High School for "Blizzard."  Medium: Acrylic.

• Honorable Mention:  Adam Wacek, Lakota West High School; Marisa Steinbach, Lakota West High School; Megan Peters, Franklin-Monroe High School; Mackenzie Marker, Greenville High School; Monica Miller, Chaminade Julienne High School; Britley Ritz, Greenville High School; Ashley Dirksen, Marion Local High School; Allise Seiler, Cincinnati Christian; Allison Lowe, Lakota East High School; Jenna Galletta, Lakota West High School.

2008:  First place went to Lyndsey Vu, now a junior at Lakota West High School for “Looking Up,” which was done with ink using her fingerprints

• 3rd Place: Kelsie Garrett, senior at Butler Technology Center for “Hollywood.”  Medium: watercolor/black acrylic paint.

• Honorable Mention: Maggie Hinkle, junior at Monroe High School for “The Bird & The Bee.”  Medium: Photography.

• Honorable Mention: Chris Crabtree, senior at Butler Tech’s Options Academy – The Arts for “The Old Butler County Courthouse.”  Medium: Digital Photography.

2007:  First place went to then-Lakota High School senior Jennifer Whitacre for acrylic painting titled "Forest Nymph."

• 2nd Place: Kyle Lyons, 11th grade at Troy High School; Troy resident; Atom Heart Cows; medium: printmaking.

• 3rd Place: Kelsey Horst, 12th grade at Lakota West High School; Liberty Township resident; The Real Me; medium: Adobe Photoshop 7.0.

• Honorable Mention: Amanda Weismann, 12th grade at Lakota West High School; West Chester resident; Look Right Thru Me; medium: oil pastel.

• Honorable Mention: Justin Fiora, 12th grade at Options Academy – The Arts; Trenton resident; Traces of Traci; medium: chalk and charcoal.

Go to the PHOTO GALLERY to view pictures from previous art competitions!