Congressional Art Competition
ABOUT THE 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 Artistic Discovery Contest 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 who reside or attend school in the 6th Congressional 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. Winners are also featured on House.gov's Congressional Art Competition page.
Artwork must be the creation a single student. Students may not collaborate on an entry.
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 framed and 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 (Charcoal and pastel must 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.
- 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.
The complete list of rules and regulations can be found here.
All artwork must be submitted in person at our district office no later than 5:00 pm on April 20th, 2026. Each piece submitted must have a completed Student Information and Release Form attached with it.
If you have any questions, please reach out to Josh.Gumacal@mail.house.gov or call our District Office at 916-635-0505.