Congress 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 encourage the artistic talent in the nation. The Artistic Discovery Competition began in 1982,
The Competition is open to all high school students in the nation.
If you are in grade 7th and 8th but your school has 7th through 12th grade on one campus, you are welcome to apply as well. (You may eligible depending on your district.)
- The winning artwork of the competition will be displayed for one year in the U.S. Capitol.
- The exhibit in Washington will include the winning artwork.
- The winning artwork is also featured on House.gov’s Congressional Art Competition page
Artwork requirement:
Artwork entered in the contest may be up to 26” x 26” x 4” (including the frame), two-dimensional, and no heavier than 15 pounds. The artwork may be:
- Paintings – including oil, acrylics, and watercolor
- Drawings – including colored pencil, pencil, ink, marker, pastels, charcoal (It is recommended that charcoal and pastel drawings be fixed.)
- Collage – 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
- Photographs
All entries must be original in concept, design and execution, and must not violate U.S. copyright law. 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.
For more information on copyright laws, we recommend you visit the Scholastic website here.
Work entered must be in the original medium – not a scanned reproduction of a painting or drawing. Artwork will hang in the Cannon Tunnel for the duration of the exhibition. Students should only submit artwork they will not need for other purposes.
Deadline for application: April 12, 2023
Fill in the form below to Participate with your artwork.
How to take a good photo:
• Find a space that will provide good lighting
• Focus camera directly on artwork
• Re-take photo if needed
• Do not add filters or edit the photos of art