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Art Competition

Each spring, a nation-wide high school arts competition is sponsored by the Members of the U.S. House of Representatives. The Congressional Art Competition is an opportunity to recognize and uplift the artistic talent of our community.

The Competition is open to all high school students in the 25th Congressional District. The winning artwork of our district's competition will be selected by a panel from the Memorial Art Gallery and 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. 

Artwork entered in the contest may be up to 26” x 26” x 4” if and when framed; unframed artwork must be small enough to accommodate a frame that is no larger than 26” x 26” x 4'. The artwork must not weigh more than 15 pounds, including the frame. 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).

The rules, checklist, and release form for the competition are located here. Each submission must be accompanied by a completed 2022 Student Release Form. Submissions are due by April 29, 2022, and can be submitted to Rep. Morelle's District Office or brought to the Creative Arts Workshop at the Memorial Art Gallery - 500 University Ave, Rochester, NY 14607.

Please contact our office directly with any questions. Thank you!