FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, April 26, 2011 

CONTACT: Clark Pettig
Office: (202) 225-5802

Over 770 Online Votes in 24 Hours of Student Art Competition

Peters Turns to Social Media & Internet Voting to Pick Winner for Annual Contest

Troy, MI – For the first time, the winner of Representative Gary Peters’ annual student art competition will be chosen using online voting – and Peters is turning to social media and email to spread the word.

More than 770 votes were cast in just the first 24 hours of the competition, which was launched at 8:00 AM on Monday. Peters has announced the competition on Facebook, Twitter, his official website, and in an email to 9th District residents. Click here to view the entries and vote.

“Every year, I’m impressed by the quality of the entries, and this year was no exception. We have some incredibly talented student artists here in the 9th District, and by putting the contest online, we can highlight their accomplishments for more people, and hopefully inspire more students to get involved in the arts,” said Rep. Gary Peters.

Every year since 1982, members of Congress have hosted a high school art competition for students in their districts. The winning artwork from each district is displayed in the U.S. Capitol Building for the next year.

In the past, the 9th District winner has been chosen by an independent panel of artists and art educators. This year, Peters decided to open the judging to the public.

Out of 104 entries from students in schools across the 9th District, a panel of judges selected five finalists, and the nominated artworks were posted on Peters’ website. Online voting began on Monday, and will run until 11:59 PM on May 8th. Peters’ office will then tally the votes, and the winning artist will be announced the following week.

In addition to having their art hung in the Capitol, the winner and a parent or guardian will receive complimentary plane tickets to Washington, DC courtesy of Southwest Airlines for the national awards ceremony.

On the Web:
Rep. Gary Peters’ Student Art Competition
http://peters.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=79&sectiontree=4,79
 

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