Every spring, a national 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 awesome artistic talent of our nation’s young artists.
COMPETITION ELIGIBILITY
The Congressional Art Competition is open to all high school students who live in New Jersey's Ninth Congressional District (all towns and cities are listed here.)
COMPETITION RULES
The Congressional Art Institute’s Rules and Regulations for the 2021 competition are available here.
Artwork entered in the contest may be no larger than 26 inches high, 26 inches wide, and 4 inches in depth and not weigh more than 15 pounds (even when framed). If your artwork is selected as the winning piece, it must arrive framed and must still measure no larger than the above maximum dimensions.
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.)
- Prints: lithographs, silk screen, block prints
- Mixed Media: use of more than two mediums such as pencil, ink, watercolor, etc.
- Collages (must be two dimensional)
- Computer-generated art
- Photographs
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). Copyright rules and guidelines can be found here.
COMPETITION SUITABILITY GUIDELINES
Artwork must adhere to the policy of the House Office Building Commission. In accordance with this policy, exhibits depicting subjects of contemporary political controversy or a sensationalistic or gruesome nature are not allowed. Each Member of Congress will be required to submit a letter of support confirming that the Member has determined that the winning artwork adheres to the Commission’s policy. However, if another Member of Congress requests review of any artwork for compliance with the Commission’s policy, the final decision regarding the artwork’s suitability for display will be made by the Commission.
TO APPLY
Entries must be submitted digitally to Migdalia Calderon at ArtCompetitionD9@gmail.com no later than 5:00 p.m. on Monday, April 12, 2021. Your submission must include a single entry and a completed Student Information & Release Form. No entry will be considered without a completed Student Information & Release Form (including all signatures from student, parent/guardian, and art teacher). We will only accept one entry per student.
AWARD NOTIFICATION
Judges from throughout the Ninth Congressional District will help select the First, Second, and Third Place winners, which will be announced by May 3, 2021.
The Congressional Art Competition illustrates the importance of arts education in high schools. Our reception will showcase the student entries and we will announce the competition winners. The grand prize-winning entry will be displayed for one year in the United States Capitol alongside artwork from every congressional district across the country. In addition, the runners-up will have their work displayed in my congressional offices.
If you would like more information on the Congressional Art Competition, please contact Migdalia Calderon at ArtCompetitionD9@gmail.com or via phone at 973-523-5152, Monday – Friday, 9:00am to 5:00pm.
