Art Competition
Accepting Submissions Until May 2, 2022
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 our District. The winning artwork of our district's competition will be displayed for one year in the U.S. Capitol. The exhibit in Washington will include the winning artwork from all participating districts from around the country. The winning artwork is also featured on House.gov's Congressional Art Competition page.
Our office is accepting submissions now. The final day to submit your work is Monday, May 2 at 5 p.m. CT. For more information, you can call our office at (712) 790-0978.
Art Competition Rules
Each student may submit one piece of artwork. There are no limits to the number submitted by each school. Artwork entered in the contest may be up to 26 inches by 26 inches, may be up to 4 inches in depth, and not weigh more than 15 pounds. If your artwork is selected as the winning piece, it must arrive framed and must still measure no larger than the above maximum dimensions.
- Paintings - including oil, acrylics, and watercolor
- Drawings - including pastels, colored pencil, pencil, charcoal, ink, and markers (It is recommended that charcoal and pastel drawings be fixed.)
- Collages - must be two dimensional
- Prints - including lithographs, silkscreen, and block prints
- Mixed Media - use of more than two mediums such as pencil, ink, watercolor, etc.
- Computer-generated art
- Photography
All entries 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 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).
Submission Instructions
Application must include:
- Artwork or picture of your artwork
- Student Information & Release Form
- 100-200 word summary of your piece
Photos of your submissions should be emailed to jacob.appel@mail.house.gov. Included with the artwork submission must be a Student Information & Release Form and a 100-200 word summary of you piece. These materials must be attached to the email or if you are unable to email, printed and sent with the artwork to one of my District Offices.
***We recognize that many students may not be able to have their teacher sign the student release form due to school closures. If they are unable to do so, you may indicate their teacher's support another way. For instance, when submitting the form, the student may attach an email from an art teacher certifying the artwork's originality.
Student Information & Release Form
The Student Information & Release form can be filled out below or downloaded here.