Art Competition

Each spring, a nationwide high school art competition titled “An Artistic Discovery,” is sponsored
by the Congressional Institute in coordination with members of the U.S. House of
Representatives. The contest is an opportunity to encourage participation in the arts and
recognize artistic talent in Western New York and across the nation.

An Artistic Discovery is open to all high school students. The top winner from each district will be
invited to a ceremony in Washington, D.C., and have their artwork displayed for one year in the
U.S. Capitol.

This page will be updated once the competition submission period has opened.

Requirements:

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 in Washington, D.C. framed, not exceeding 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 (It is recommended that
charcoal and pastel drawings 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.
● Computer-generated art
● 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 Congressional Art Competition began in 1982 to provide an opportunity for members of
Congress to encourage and recognize the artistic talents of their young constituents. Since then,
over 650,000 high school students have participated in the nationwide competition.

If you would like more information on the annual Congressional District Art Competition, please
follow this link: https://www.congressionalinstitute.org/congressional-art-competition/.