Art Competition
Each spring, a nation wide high school art 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 Mississippi's Third Congressional District.
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.
Contest Rules
The Artistic Discovery Contest is open to all high school students, including home-schooled youth, in Mississippi's Third Congressional District. The overall winner of the district competition will have their artwork displayed for one year in the U.S. Capitol. The exhibit in Washington will also include artwork from other contest winners nationwide.
Artwork entered in the contest may be up to 28 inches by 28 inches (including the frame) and may be up to four inches in depth. Artwork cannot weigh more than 15 pounds. The artwork 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. Please note that the winning piece of artwork must be framed in order to hang in the U.S. Capitol. Artwork will hang in the U.S. Capitol for the entire year of the exhibition and cannot be returned to the students earlier. Therefore, students should submit artwork they will not need for other purposes.
All artwork must be submitted to one of my three district offices no later than Thursday, February 23rd, 2017. If you are bringing your artwork to Meridian or Starkville, please contact Jacob Murphy in the Pearl District office at (601) 932-2410 to set up an appointment time to drop off the artwork. Artwork may be dropped off Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at our Pearl Office, 2507-A Old Brandon Rd., Pearl, MS 39208.
All entries will be judged by a panel of local artists from Mississippi’s Third Congressional District, and the winner will be honored with a reception on Friday, March 3rd at 9:00 a.m. in the small Pearl Community Center Room, 2420 Old Brandon Rd., Pearl, MS 39208. In addition, the winner will be invited to attend a special ceremony held in Washington, D.C. in June.
