Congressional Art Competition

*** The 2014 Congressional Art Competition is now closed. Please check back for more details on winners and next year's competition. Thank you to all who participated! ***

Each spring, a nationwide 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 the 20th District. The over-all winner of our district's competition will have their artwork on display for one year in the U.S. Capitol. The exhibit in Washington, D.C. will also include artwork from other contest winners nationwide.

Artwork must be framed and conform to the following restrictions:

• Artwork must be two-dimensional
• Each piece can be no larger than 28”x 28” x 4” (28 inches high, 28 inches wide, and 4 inches deep) including the frame. The overall winning piece will be subject to more stringent frame and mounting requirements before being sent to Washington, D.C. for display.
• Artwork cannot weigh more than 15 lbs.
• Artwork accepted mediums are as follows:

o   Paintings: oil, acrylics, watercolor, etc.

o   Drawings: colored pencil, pencil, ink, marker, pastels, charcoal (It is recommended that charcoal and pastel drawings be fixed.)

o   Collage: must be two-dimensional

o   Prints: lithographs, silkscreen, block prints

o   Mixed Media: use of more than two mediums such as pencil, ink, watercolor, etc.

o   Computer-Generated Art

o   Photography

• Each entry 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 (not the student’s own), painting, graphic, advertisement, or any other work produced by another person 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).

All entries must be submitted to my Albany district office, located at 61 Columbia Street, 4th Floor, Albany, New York, 12210, no later than Friday, April 25^th at 5pm.  The Student Information & Release form must be securely attached to back of each entry.

Artwork will be on display May 1^st thru May 8^th in the President’s Gallery at the Arts Center of the Capitol Region, located at 265 River Street, Troy, New York 12180. 

Congressman Tonko’s office will host a reception at the Arts Center on Friday, May 2^nd from 5:30pm-7:00pm where an independent panel of judges will reveal the winner and runners up.

The Congressional Art Competition began in 1982 to provide an opportunity for members of Congress to encourage and recognize the artistic talents of their young constituents. Since then, over 650,000 high school students have been involved with the nationwide competition.

If you would like more information on the annual Congressional District Art Competition - including this year's deadlines - please contact my office.