Congressional Art Competition
Maya Winshell, a student at Ruth Asawa School of the Arts, won the 2016
Congressional Art Competition. Her piece is titled “Reflection” and she
describes it in these words: "This painting speaks to the solitude and silence
of creativity. Although the young woman is alone, the peaceful environment projects
the sense that she is anything but lonely. Warmed by sunlight, she concentrates
on her art, content with her own reflection for company."
The Congressional Art Competition is a unique opportunity to encourage art education in our schools and to give high school students, as well as 7th and 8th graders who share campuses with high schools, living in the 14th Congressional District a chance to gain national recognition for their creative talents. The winner will receive a trip to Washington, DC for an honorary reception where Members of Congress will recognize finalists from all 50 states. The student’s artwork will hang on display for one year in the main corridor between the U.S. Capitol and House Office Buildings.
General Guidelines
All entries from the 14th Congressional District reflecting originality in concept, design, and execution are welcome! Please review the general qualification guidelines below. For any additional information contact Aaron Kiesler at aaron.kiesler@mail.house.gov or (650) 342-0300.
- Must be created by high school students living in the 14th Congressional District
- Must be two dimensional
- Can be no larger than 28”x28”x4” (28 inches high, 28 inches wide, and 4 inches deep) including the frame
- Cannot be more than 15 lbs. in weight
- 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.
- Must be submitted in the original medium (scanned reproductions of a painting or drawing will be disqualified)
- Click here for additional guidelines.
Accepted art media
- Paintings: oil, acrylics, watercolor, etc.
- Drawings: pastels, colored pencil, pencil, charcoal, ink, markers
- 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
Student Information & Release Form
Click here for a submission checklist. All students must include a completed Student Information & Release Form signed by the student, parent/guardian and art teacher.
About the Competition
Each spring, the Congressional Institute sponsors a nationwide high school visual art competition to recognize and encourage artistic talent in the nation and in each congressional district. The competition provides an opportunity for members of Congress to encourage and recognize the artistic talents of their young constituents. High school students submit entries to their representative’s office, and panels of local artists in each district select the winning entries, which are then displayed for one year at the Capitol. Winners are recognized both in their district and at an annual Awards Ceremony in Washington, DC. Since it began in 1982, more than 650,000 high school students have participated. Click here to learn more.