Congressional Arts Competition
Each spring, a nation-wide high school art competition is hosted by the Members of the U.S. House of Representatives. The Artistic Discovery Contest is an opportunity to recognize and encourage the artistic talent across the country, as well as in our Congressional District.
The winning artwork from the 12th District competition will be displayed for one year in the U.S. Capitol building. The exhibit in Washington will include the winning artwork from all participating districts from around the country. The winning artwork is also featured on House.gov's Congressional Art Competition page. In addition, second, third, fourth and fifth-place works will be displayed in my Washington, DC and Ewing, NJ offices for one year.
The following is a summary of the Congressional Art Competition rules: 2024 Rules
Please be advised that the dimensions for the competition have changed so that artwork MUST BE NO LARGER THAN 26 INCHES BY 26 INCHES BY 4 INCHES. This includes the frame.
- Each entrant may only submit one piece of art that must meet the following criteria:
- Be two dimensional
- Be no larger than 26 inches wide by 26 inches tall by 4 inches deep (including the frame)
- Not weigh more than 15 pounds (including the frame)
- Be original in concept, design, and execution; the piece may not violate any U.S. Copyright laws.
- Be in original medium (cannot be a scanned reproduction of the painting/drawing)
- Accepted mediums for the two-dimensional artwork are as follows:
- Paintings: oil, acrylics, watercolor, etc.
- Drawings: pastels, colored pencil, pencil, charcoal, ink, markers, etc. (it is recommended that charcoal and pastel drawings be fixed)
- Collage (must be two dimensional)
- Prints: lithographs, silkscreen, block prints, etc.
- Mixed Media
- Computer Generated Art
- Photography
- Be able to be hung for the final exhibition
- Each entry must be accompanied by an Information/Release Form (supplied by the office of Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman).
Please be mindful that the competition is in person and you are required to drop your framed artwork off to the Congresswoman’s Ewing office by April 23, 2024 by 4pm. Artwork must have wiring on the back for hanging.
Also, we are excited to announce that this year’s competition has transformed into a 2-week Congressional Art Exhibition!
This 2-week exhibition will be displayed at Trenton Art Works, and the grand opening ceremony and competition is on Friday May 10, 2024. Every guest must RSVP, each artist is permitted to invite 3 guests as seating is limited.
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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).
Click here for a Guide to Copyright and Plagiarism
Email the completed student release form to Jasi.Edwards@mail.house.gov. If you have any questions, contact my Ewing Office at (609) 883-0026.
2024 Congressional Arts Competition Winners
1st Place is "Breath of Hope" by Kyle Xu of Princeton Day School Student
2nd Place is "Homogenous Hatred” by Seungwoo Julien Raillot of The Peddie School
3rd Place is "Thorn Filled Lungs" by Haylee Wisinski of Hopewell Valley Central High School
4th Place is "Darkness" by Sylvia Gao of Keke Studio
5th Place is "Anuak Princess" by Katherine Chui of East Brunswick High School