Congressional 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 26 inches by 26 inches, may be up to 4 inches in depth, and not weigh more than 15 pounds when framed. 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
The competition is open to any high school student who lives in Virginia's Fourth Congressional District .
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).
Review the 2024 Rules for Students and Teachers here. Complete the 2024 Student Release form here.
Students should submit their completed application packet in pdf format to VA04_Projects@mail.house.gov with subject line Congressional Art Competition.
Along with their signed application form, they must provide a good quality photo showing the entire art piece. ( If the artist wishes to highlight close-up details of their work, they may submit up to 5 additional photos of their entry.)
The deadline to submit artwork is Monday, April 22, 2024 by 5 pm.
Work entered must be in the original medium (that is, not a scanned reproduction of a painting, drawing, etc.).
Artwork will hang in the Cannon Tunnel for the duration of the exhibition (until Summer 2025). Students should only submit artwork they will not need for other purposes.
Suitability Guidelines- Artwork must adhere to the policy of the House Office Building Commission. In accordance with this policy, exhibits depicting subjects of contemporary political controversy or a sensationalistic or gruesome nature are not allowed.
For any additional questions, please contact Elizabeth Hardin (Elizabeth.hardin@mail.house.gov).