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 encourage the artistic talent in the nation, as well as in our Congressional District.
The Congressional Art Competition 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.
Submissions Process
All submissions are due by Monday, April 22, 2024 at 5 PM. Participants should email their submission to RepBanks.Art@mail.house.gov or schools can call the office to arrange for a pickup of entries. Artwork and entry forms must be submitted to the district office by the deadline.
The email submission should contain the following attachments:
• A clear, high-resolution picture of the students’ artwork uploaded in a PDF, JPEG, or PNG file.
• A scanned, signed copy of the Student Release Form, complete to the best of the student’s ability, and uploaded as a PDF.
The subject line of the email should read “2024 Congressional Art Competition Submission.”
The email body should include:
1. Student’s Name
2. School’s Name
3. Art Teacher’s Name
4. Student’s Grade Level
5. Name of Artwork
6. Medium Used
7. Description of artwork **
**make sure to write in why you think your piece captures this year’s theme, and what the image you chose to focus on means to you personally.**
Rules
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. 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 for the competition can be found here.
2024 Theme
The theme for our district is "Indiana." Indiana is the feeling of Hoosier satisfaction, devotion and sense of attachment to the United States. Try to think outside of the box when deciding what Indiana means—and looks like—to you, and show us in your artwork.
On the student registration form under “description,” make sure to write why you think your piece captures Indiana, and what it means to you personally. The passion you show through your artwork and description could make you a winner!
