Each year, a nationwide student art competition is sponsored by the U.S. House of Representatives. The Congressional Art Competition began in 1982 to provide an opportunity for members of Congress to encourage and recognize the artistic talents of their young constituents. Since then, over 700,000 high school students have competed for the honor of having their work shown in the U.S. Capitol.

MAINE’S CONGRESSIONAL ART COMPETITION

The competition in Maine is open to all high school students, and there is a winner, first runner up, second runner up and honorable mention chosen from each of Maine’s two congressional districts. The competition is co-hosted by the Maine Arts Commission and the offices of Representatives Mike Michaud and Chellie Pingree.

Maine’s winners, chosen by jurors selected by the Maine Arts Commission, will have their work displayed in the halls of the U.S. Capitol for one year. Both winning students, along with a parent, will be provided tickets courtesy of Southwest Airlines to participate in an opening ceremony in Washington, DC in June. Finalists and runners up, their families, and art teachers are also invited to a reception at the Blaine House in Augusta where the selected students are recognized for their work by Maine’s Governor and members of Congress.

In addition, the Maine College of Art will award the winner and first runner up from each congressional district with its “Excellence Award for the Congressional Arts Competition.” This award provides each winner an $8,000 scholarship and each of the first runners up with a $6,000 scholarship to the Maine College of Art for each year they attend the school and remain in academic good standing. If the winning student is not a senior in high school and unable to immediately use the scholarship, the Maine College of Art will defer it and honor it for the student’s use after graduation from high school. Students and parents are encouraged to contact the Maine College of Art directly for more information on the scholarships.

Students interested in participating in the competition are encouraged to visit the Maine Arts Commission’s website to get more detailed information on submission guidelines.

PREVIOUS WINNERS

Jeremy Vroom of Bangor and Whitney Wei of Farmingdale are the winners of the 2011 Congressional Arts Competition. Images of their artwork can be found below. Click HERE to view all 2011 winners, first runners up, second runners up, and honorable mentions.

1st District Winner: Whitney Wei
Art Work: Hallowell
Medium: Loose Charcoal, Graphite Pencil

2nd District Winner: Jeremy Vroom
Art Work: Parking Garage By Night
Medium: Photography