For Release: Friday, March 31, 2006
Contact: David Gillies: 202-225-5661

U.S. CONGRESSMAN JERRY COSTELLO ANNOUNCES DETAILS OF THE 12TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT "ARTISTIC DISCOVERY CONTEST"

Washington - U.S. Congressman Jerry F. Costello released details today concerning his Annual Artistic Discovery Arts Competition to be held on Sunday May 21, 2006 at 2:00 p.m. in downtown Belleville during the annual Art on the Square event.  

An Artistic Discovery, coordinated by members of Congress, is an annual High School Art Competition open to all high-school aged art students across the United States. Congressman Costello asks art students from each high school within the 12th Congressional District to participate and submit an entry which will be placed on display for the competition on May 16.  Winning entries in each category will receive local prizes, while the overall winning entry will be sent to Washington D.C. to participate in the national ceremony to be held in July. All entries submitted to Washington will be displayed in the Cannon Office Building Tunnel leading to the U.S. Capitol for one year.  The Belleville Art on the Square organization will again co-sponsor this competition and students will have the opportunity to enter one work of art into one or both competitions. The grand prize winning student of the Congressional Art Competition for the 12th District will receive an Art Scholarship to the Savannah College of Art and Design. This is the 25th Anniversary of the competition and since it began, nearly 4,500 local contests have been conducted, involving more than 650,000 high school students.

Art which is submitted for consideration is required to be two-dimensional, no larger than 30 inches by 30 inches within the following categories: Paintings, Drawings, Collage, Prints, Mixed Media, Computer Generated Art and Photography. Each entry must be original in concept, design and execution. Anyone with questions can contact 618/233-8026 or visit the Congressman's website at www.house.gov/costello. The deadline for submitting an entry form is May 1, 2006 and must be submitted to Belleville Art on the Square. Info is available at www.artonthesquare.com/student_info.htm. High school Art Teachers and Principals throughout the 12th Congressional District have been mailed this information.

"The Artistic Discovery competition honors all of the talent that exists in this congressional district among our high school students," said Costello, the sponsor of the competition. "I am proud to once again sponsor this competition to show the best art work from our area."

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