Registration for the 2025 Congressional Art Competition is now open.
Each spring, a nationwide high school arts competition is sponsored by the U.S. House of Representatives. The Congressional Art Competition is an opportunity to recognize and encourage the young artistic talent across the nation, as well as in our First Congressional District.
The winning artwork from our district will be announced at a reception hosted by Congresswoman Harshbarger in May and will be displayed for one year in the U.S. Capitol alongside the winning artwork from all participating districts from around the country. The winning artwork will also be featured on House.gov's Congressional Art Competition page.
For reference, artwork submitted into the 2025 Congressional Art Competition must abide by the following summary of guidelines:
The competition is open to high school students. Students should enter the competition in the district they reside, not where they attend school. 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 (Charcoal and pastel must 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. For more information on copyright laws, we recommend you visit the Scholastic website: https://www.artandwriting.org/awards/how-to-enter/copyright-plagiarism/
Work entered must be in the original medium (that is, not a scanned reproduction of a painting, drawing, etc.).
To view the full 2025 rules and regulations, click HERE.
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.
If you have any questions, please email patty.mills@mail.house.gov.