2014 Congressional Art Competition

Dr. Dan Benishek is pleased to announce that his office is now accepting entries for the 2014 Congressional Art Competition in Michigan's First Congressional District.  This national contest is open to all high school students in the district.  The winning entry will be displayed in the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. for an entire year.

To download 2014 Congressional Art Contest Guidebook & Regulations (PDF)

How To Enter Artwork:

All artwork must be submitted by Friday, April 25, 2014

Students can enter artwork in two ways. Artwork can be submitted electronically (OPTION #1) or artwork can be submitted via mail (OPTION #2).  Please carefully review the procedure below before submitting artwork.

OPTION #1:  How to submit artwork electronically:

  1. An individual seeking to submit art must photograph their art and save it as a digital file
  1. Email the digital file to the following email address:  benishekart@mail.house.gov
  1. Make email subject line "Congressional Art Contest Entry” and include the 1) name of the applicant  2) address of the applicant  3) name of the applicant's school 4) name of teacher in the body of the email. 
  1. Once sent, the images will be processed by Rep. Benishek’s staff for judging.
  1. Individuals who enter will receive an email response informing them that their art has been received and processed.   

OPTION #2:  How to submit artwork by mail:

  1. Carefully package your framed artwork into a box that is fit for shipping via mail.  Artists are strongly encouraged to purchase insurance and tracking on their packages
  1. Include in the package the following information: 1) name of the applicant  2) address of the applicant  3) name of the applicant's school  4) name of teacher in the body of the email. 
  1. Mail your artwork to the address below: 

U.S. Congressman Dan Benishek

ATTN: Congressional Art Competition

1349 S. Otsego Ave, Ste 7A

Gaylord, MI 49735

  1. Once received by Rep. Benishek’s staff, you will receive a confirmation email stating that your art has been received and processed.

***Note: Applicants are encouraged to insure and track their packages. Rep. Benishek’s Office is not responsible for artwork that is lost or damaged in shipping.

Contest Guidlines:

Artwork must conform to these restrictions:

> Artwork must be two dimensional

> Each framed piece can be no larger than 28” x 28” x 4” (28 inches high, 28 inches wide, and 4 inches deep) including the frame.

> Artwork cannot weigh more than 15 pounds.

> Artwork accepted mediums are as follows:

  • Paintings: oil, acrylics, watercolor, etc.
  • Drawings: colored pencil, pencil, ink, marker, pastels, charcoal
  • Collage: must be two dimensional
  • Prints: lithographs, silkscreen, block prints
  • Mixed Media: use of more than two mediums such as pencil, ink, watercolor, etc.
  • Computer-generated art
  • Photography

> Each entry must be original in concept, design, and execution and may not violate any U.S. copyright laws.  Any entry that has been copied from an existign photo (not the student's own), painting, graphic, or anyo ther work produced by another person is a violation of the competition rules and will NOT be accepted. 

The Congressional Art Contest has been held annually for the last 32 years and is sponsored by the Congressional Institute.  If you want to learn more about the contest, please go to www.conginst.org for more details.