Press Releases

Chester, PA – Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05) is now accepting submissions for the 41st Annual Congressional Art Competition. The competition is open to students, grades 9 through 12, who reside in Pennsylvania’s 5th Congressional District. Participating students are offered an opportunity to highlight their talent, and the winner will have their artwork displayed in the United States Capitol for an entire year. 

Artwork can be submitted in person at Rep. Scanlon's district office during normal business hours (Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) or mailed. Submissions will be accepted from April 10, 2023 through April 28, 2023. Additional details are included below. 

“Art is a powerful platform for free expression and can be a moving source of hope and inspiration,” said Rep. Scanlon. “Each year, I look forward to this opportunity to view our community through the eyes of our student constituents.”

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 been involved in the nationwide competition.

Rules and Regulations

All artwork must be two-dimensional. Each framed piece of 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. 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

Artwork can be submitted in person at Rep. Scanlon's district office during normal business hours (Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) or mailed:

Rita Waters
2501 Seaport Drive, BH230
Chester, PA 19013

Each entry must be original in concept, design, and execution and may not violate U.S. copyright laws. For more information on copyright laws, visit the Scholastic website. There is no limit per school, but we are limiting submissions to one piece of artwork per student. Artwork must be the creation of a single student. Students may not collaborate on an entry. All artwork submissions must have a completed student release form upon submission.

Read more about the requirements here.

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