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 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 District. The winning artwork will be displayed for one year in the U.S. Capitol alongside other pieces from across the country and will also be featured on House.gov's Congressional Art Competition page.

"All students from Virginia's Sixth Congressional District are encouraged to participate in this year's art competition," Cline said. "This is a wonderful opportunity for students to showcase their artistic ability and for the selected winner to have his or her artwork on display at the Capitol for the next year."

Artwork must be two-dimensional. Each framed artwork can be no larger than 26 inches high, 26 inches wide, and 4 inches deep. If your artwork is selected as the winning piece, it must arrive in Washington, DC, framed. Even when framed, it must still measure no larger than the above maximum dimensions. No framed piece should weigh more than 15 pounds.

Accepted mediums for the two-dimensional artwork are as follows:

• Paintings: oil, acrylics, watercolor, etc.

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

• Collages: must be two dimensional

• Prints: lithographs, silkscreen, block prints

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

• Computer-generated art

• Photographs

Each entry must be original in concept, design, and execution and may not violate 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. For more information on copyright laws, we recommend you visit the Scholastic website. Work entered must be in the original medium (that is, 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

Students should submit photographs of their entry and the Student Release Form to ArtCompetitionVA06@mail.house.gov.

The Student Release Form can be found here.

Entries are due by May 6, 2022. For more information, contact District Director Debbie Garrett at (540) 885-3861 or Staff Assistant Drew LeMay at (202) 225-5431.

Madison Helmick from Staunton High School was the Sixth District's 2021 winner, and her painting In the Works featured here, currently hangs in the U.S. Capitol.