Art Competition

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.

The following is a summary of the Congressional Art Competition rules:

Artwork entered in the contest may be up to 28 inches by 28 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.
Photography

Computer-generated/AI artwork will not be allowed. 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 Art Competition is open to high school students. Students in 7th and 8th grade may participate if they share the same campus as the high school. Students should enter the competition in the district they reside, not where they attend school. Teachers and/or students should verify their eligibility with the office of the Member of Congress. Artwork must be the creation of a single student. Students may not collaborate on an entry.

The rules, checklist, and release form for the competition are scheduled to be posted in early February on House.gov's Congressional Art Competition page.

The final date to submit artwork will be on April 10^th. Judges will give their opinions on the submitted artwork, and a ceremony to celebrate all the artwork from the district this year will be held on April 17^th.

It is important to note that students must submit a Student Information and Release form in order to participate. The form requires a description of the artwork, which should be detailed, clearly identifying the major elements of the work. For example, “self-portrait” or “a picture of two people” would be unacceptable, since many artworks would fit those descriptions. The following is an example of a useful description: “A painting of two people; the person on the left wears a green sweater and khaki pants; the person on the right wears a black shirt and a striped skirt. A dog sits at their feet.”

The second page of the Student Information and Release Form contains a legal release and a certification that the artwork is original in design and execution. The student, an art teacher, and a parent or guardian must sign where appropriate. Entries without signed originality certifications and artwork releases may not be accepted. A TYPED copy of the Student Information and Release Form, signed by the teacher, a parent or guardian, and the student, must be securely attached to the back of the artwork to certify the originality of the piece. Please retain a copy for your records.

To submit your artwork, please coordinate with your school's art department. A representative from Rep. Morrison's office will pick up art submissions on April 11.

If you have any questions, please contact brett.bowman@mail.house.gov.