Art Competition

Each spring, a nation-wide high school arts competition is sponsored by the Members of the U.S. House of  Representatives. The Artistic Discovery Contest is an opportunity to recognize and encourage the artistic talent in the nation, as well as in our congressional district.  The picture seen here is, in fact, the winning entry for 2015 entitled "Oh, Honey!" by Katherine Lasko.

The Artistic Discovery Contest is open to all high school students in the 8th District. The over-all winner of our district's competition will be displayed for one year in the U.S. Capitol. The exhibit in Washington will also include artwork from other contest winners nation-wide.

Art works entered in the contest may be up to 28 inches by 28 inches (including the frame) and may be up to 4 inches in depth. The art work may be

  • Paintings - including oil, acrylics, and watercolor
  • Drawings - including pastels, colored pencil, pencil, charcoal, ink, and markers
  • Collage
  • Prints - including lithographs, silkscreen, and block prints
  • Mixed Media
  • Computer Generated Art
  • Photography

All entries must be an original in concept, design and execution.

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 650,000 high school students have been involved with the nationwide competition.

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 existing photo (not the student's own), painting, graphic, advertisement, or any other work produced by another person is a violation of the competition rules and will not be accepted. Work entered must be in the original medium (not a scanned reproduction of a painting or drawing).

Framing guidelines:

  • Your artwork is required to be framed.
  • Frames should be wood or metal and should be kept as simple and sturdy as possible. Metal frames are recommended. No "snap on" frames with glass are to be used.
  • All Artwork except works in oil or acrylic on canvas must be protected by Plexiglas or glass. Plexiglas is preferred. If glass is used, special packing and shipping arrangements are encouraged to ensure that the work is not damaged if the glass breaks.

Any additional questions or concerns can be directed to Jacques Imperial at  Jacques.Imperial@mail.house.gov