Congressional Art Competition

A colorful graphic with body text reading Congressional Art Competition 2023
Every spring, a national high school student 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 the 8th Congressional District. If you're not sure if you live in the 8th District, you can look up your congressional district here. You can also call Rep. Raskin's office at 301-354-1000 and provide your street address and zip code to a staff member who will be able to help you.

Competition Rules

The Congressional Art Institute’s Rules and Regulations for the 2023 competition will be available soon.

Artwork entered in the contest may be no larger than 26 inches high, 26 inches wide, and 4 inches in depth and weigh no 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).

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

Each student may submit 1 piece. Entries may be submitted starting February 13, 2023 and must be submitted no later than 5:00 p.m. on Monday March 20, 2023. The online submission must include a single entry and a completed Student Information & Release Form. No entry will be considered submitted without a completed Student Information & Release Form (including all signatures from student, parent/guardian and art teacher). Once you have completed the Student Information & Release Form, submit your entry using this link or the button below. 

Submit Button

Award Notification

This year, the Eighth District's Congressional Art Competition will return to a juried exhibition. Artist judges from across the District will select artwork from the submitted pieces for inclusion in the exhibition. Student artists selected for the exhibition will be notified on April 10, 2023. Selected entries will be exhibited at VisArts (155 Gibbs Street, Rockville, Maryland 20850) from April 26, 2023 through May 7, 2023. Some of the exhibited artworks will be awarded runner-up and one will be chosen as the winner of the 2023 Congressional Art Competition. The award selections will be announced by May 1, 2023. 

The winning submission from the Eighth District will be displayed in the U.S. Capitol Building for one year alongside artwork from every Congressional District across the Nation. The runners-up will have their work displayed in my congressional offices and in my Congressional Art Competition Virtual Gallery. The 2022 virtual gallery can be viewed here.

If you would like more information on the Congressional Art Competition, please contact Nina Weisbroth at nina.weisbroth@mail.house.gov or Hailey Roh at hailey.roh@mail.house.gov or call 301-354-1000.