Art Competition

2021 NJ-11 Virtual Congressional Art Competition

Each spring, Congress holds a nationwide high school art competition open to all high school students from each congressional district. Since the competition began in 1982, more than 650,000 high school students have participated. Students submit entries to their Representative’s office, and panels of judges select the winning entries. The winner’s artwork will be displayed for one year in the U.S. Capitol.

Due to continuing COVID restrictions, the competition took place virtually this year to showcase high school students’ artistry and creative talent. As a result of the pandemic, students could either create an original piece at home or submit artwork they’ve created previously.

The following students earned distinction for their pieces in 2021:

First Place: “Leave Them Outside” by Margaret Dela Cruz, Passaic County Technical Institute
Second Place: “Keeping Face” by Sofia Dinka, Morris Catholic High School
Third Place: “Dim Decay” by Taylor Wallace, Morris Catholic High School

FIRST PLACE: “Leave Them Outside” by Margaret Dela Cruz, Passaic County Technical Institute

2020 Competition Winners

Due to COVID restrictions, the 2020 competition took place virtually and showcased high school students’ creativity and artistic expression. Submissions were reviewed by Michele Marinelli, Curator of the Guinness Collection at the Morris Museum and Ira Wagner, Interim Director of the Montclair Art Museum.

The following students earned distinction for their pieces:

First Place: Kate Terhune, Mountain Lakes High School, “Nighttime Allure”
Second Place: Lindsey Mei Alvarez, Morris Catholic High School, "Mind”
Third Place: Sofia Rodriguez, Morris County School of Technology, “The Hallway”

FIRST PLACE: Kate Terhune, Mountain Lakes High School, “Nighttime Allure.”

2019

First Place, Tafari Dempster, Whippany Park High School,"Euphoria"

Tafari Dempster's self-portrait, "Euphoria"