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 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. The winning artwork will also be featured on the House.gov’s Congressional Art Competition page listed below.
The following is a summary of the Congressional Art Competition rules:
Artwork entered in the contest may be up to 26 inches wide by 26 inches tall, may be up to 4 inches in depth, and not weigh more than 15 pounds. All entries must be two-dimensional and original, and must arrive framed and must still measure no larger than the maximum dimensions.
Accepted mediums for the two-dimensional artwork are as follows:
- Paintings - including oil, acrylics, and watercolor
- Drawings - including pastels, colored pencil, pencil, charcoal, ink, and markers (It is recommended that charcoal and pastel drawings be fixed.)
- Collages - 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
- Photography
All entries 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 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. Work entered must be in the original medium (that is, not a scanned reproduction of a painting or drawing).
The deadline to submit artwork and completed release form is Friday, April 12nd at 5:00 p.m. Artwork must be submitted in person at either one of the 21st Congressional District offices in Stuart, Jupiter, or Port St. Lucie. Offices will be open Monday-Friday from 9am-5pm.
Our volunteer judges will be deciding on the First Place Winners from each county, narrowing it down to the top 3 entries for the district.
The winner for the district will be determined and announced by early May. An invitation will be emailed to all students who participated in the competition. Congressman will then make the final decision on 1st, 2nd and 3rd place. First place artwork will be hung at the United States Capitol for a year, while the other two pieces of art will be hung in Congressman’s office in Washington DC.
Your submission of artwork signifies your permission to have your artwork displayed online, at a final art competition show and in the United States Capitol. To register, please complete the online form. You must print it and submit with the artwork as well. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Angel Robertson, Outreach Coordinator for Congressman Brian Mast office. She can be reached at Office: (772) 403-0900 or Cell: (202) 313-1396.
The following dates are when the competitions will be viewed by our volunteer judges for each county:
- MARTIN COUNTY HIGH SCHOOLS: Monday, April 29 at 10:00 AM
- NORTH PALM BEACH COUNTY HIGH SCHOOLS: Tuesday, April 30 at 10:00 AM
- ST. LUCIE COUNTY HIGH SCHOOLS: Wednesday, May 1 at 1:00 PM
Note: Fields marked with an * are required.