Congressman John Shimkus

Representing the 15th District of Illinois
 

 

Art Competition

All entries must include a completed Student Information and Release Form. CLICK HERE to download the form. This year's deadline is April 15. 

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 Artistic Discovery Contest is open to all high school students in the 15th 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.

Artwork must be two-dimensional. Each framed artwork can be no larger than 28” x 28” x 4” (28 inches high, 28 inches wide, and 4 inches deep). No framed piece should weigh more than 15 pounds. 

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

Each entry must be original in concept, design, and execution and may not violate U.S. copyright laws. Any entry that has been copied from an existing photo or image (including a painting, graphic, or advertisement) that was created by someone other than the student is a violation of the competition rules and will not be accepted. 
 
Work entered must be in the original medium (that is, not a scanned reproduction of a painting or drawing). 

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.