Congressional Art Competition

THE 2025 CONGRESSIONAL ART COMPETITION IS NOW OPEN

The Congressional Art Competition, created in 1982, is an officially sanctioned bipartisan event designed to encourage the artistic talents of high school students from across the country as they compete for an opportunity to have their artwork displayed in the heart of the U.S. Capitol. The competition is sponsored annually by each Member of the U.S. House of Representatives and the Congressional Institute.

All submissions must be delivered to our district office (2501 Seaport Drive, Chester, PA 19013) by Friday, April 18. Artwork can only be dropped off during normal business hours: Monday-Friday, 9AM to 5PM. 

Questions about submitting artwork to our office, including the required release form, for this year’s competition can be directed to Rita Waters via email at rita.waters@mail.house.gov or by phone at 610-626-2020.

2025 RULES AND REGULATIONS

FOR STUDENTS AND TEACHERS

General Information

This year, our office will accept artwork from students, grades 9 through 12, who live in Pennsylvania’s 5th Congressional District. 

All artwork must be two-dimensional and the creation of a single student. Each framed piece of artwork can be no larger than 26 inches high, 26 inches wide, and 4 inches deep.

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

Work entered must be in the original medium (that is, not a scanned reproduction of a painting, drawing, etc.). Artwork will hang in the Cannon Tunnel for the duration of the exhibition. Students should only submit artwork they will not need for other purposes.

Each entry must be original in concept, design, and execution and may not violate U.S. copyright laws. For more information on copyright laws, we recommend you visit the Scholastic website:

https://www.artandwriting.org/awards/how-to-enter/copyright-plagiarism/

Student Information and Release Form

Each entrant must submit a Student Information and Release Form. Students should also include contact information that will be valid for several years. For instance, students, especially seniors, are encouraged to include a personal email address rather than a school email address that will expire at the end of their senior year.

The form requires a description of the artwork, which should be detailed, clearly identifying the major elements of the work. The following is an example of a useful description: “A painting of two people; the person on the left wears a green sweater and khaki pants; the person on the right wears a black shirt and a striped skirt. A dog sits at their feet.”