2024 Congressional Art Competition Submission Deadline

Each spring, the Congressional Institute sponsors a nationwide high school visual art competition to recognize and encourage artistic talent in the nation and in each congressional district. Since the Artistic Discovery competition began in 1982, more than 650,000 high school students have participated.

Students submit entries to their representative’s office, and panels of district artists select the winning entries. Winners are recognized both in their district and at an annual awards ceremony in Washington, DC. The winning works are displayed for one year at the U.S. Capitol.

General Rules

The competition is open to high school students. Students should enter the competition in the district they reside, not where they attend school. Members may choose whether to include 7th and 8th grade students in the art competition if schools located in their districts house 7th through 12th grades on one campus. Teachers and/or students should verify their eligibility with the office of the Member of Congress. Artwork must be the creation a single student. Students may not collaborate on an entry. 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, DC, framed. Even when framed, it must still measure no larger than the above 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.

How to Enter the 2024 Art Competition

1. Contact your representative to confirm your district’s participation and obtain specific guidance.
2. Review the 2024 Rules for Students and Teachers.
3. Complete the 2024 Student Release Form.
4. Submit the Student Release Form and any other required materials to your representative by the deadline specified on their website.