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Leesburg, VA – Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton (D-VA) has announced the winner of the 2023 Congressional Art Competition for Virginia’s 10th Congressional District: the painting “Little Hope” by Linyue Tong, a Sterling resident and freshmen at Potomac Falls High School. Her piece will be displayed in the U.S. Capitol for one year and featured on House.gov’s Congressional Art Competition page.

“I’m amazed by the talent, passion, and creativity of so many young artists who participated in this year’s Congressional Art Competition,” said Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton. “Congratulations to Linyue Tong on winning our best in show for her painting ‘Little Hope’ which masterfully portrayed the threat posed by climate change and the importance of remaining hopeful in the fight to save our planet. I want to thank all of the young artists who put the time and dedication into their art pieces for this year’s competition – you’ve made our district proud through your work.”

This year’s competition featured 81 drawings, paintings, photographs, digital graphics, and mixed media pieces, which were featured in a gallery at George Washington University’s Ashburn campus and in a virtual gallery found here.

The best in show, along with first and second place pieces in each category, were selected by a panel of local expert judges at a reception Monday evening at GWU’s Ashburn Campus. The reception’s keynote speech was delivered by Dr. Lauren Onkey, a longtime educator, scholar, producer, and museum professional who serves as the Director of the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design at George Washington University.

A full list of the winners from each category can be found below:

Best in Show - “Little Hope” by Linyue Tong of Potomac Falls High School

1st Place in Painting - “Slumber” by Sahana Shankar of Stone Bridge High School
2nd Place in Painting - “Failing in Reverse” by Benjamin Savenko of Briar Woods High School
Honorable Mentions - “A Day on the Metro” by Amy Boteler of John Champe High School 
“Mutual Solitude” by Chloe Lee of Oakton High School

1st Place in Drawing - “Lanterns” by Joyce Zheng of Stone Bridge High School
2nd Place in Drawing - “2016” by Callia Sun of Riverside High School
Honorable Mentions - “Reassurance” by Nissi Telagathoti of Independence High School
“Out of Reach, Out of Touch” by Nancy Qiao of Broad Run High School
“The Boss” by Julien Lewis of Potomac Falls High School

1st Place in Photography - “Haunted Melody” by Zaina Abu-Kassem of Briar Woods High School
2nd Place in Photography - “Let Down” by Sofia Rahnama of Briar Woods High School
Honorable Mentions - “Enchanting Simplicity” by Hyeyong Caitlynn Jeon of Independence High School
Honorable Mentions - “Chesapeake Nighttime” by Kai Macaninch of Riverside High School

1st Place in Mixed Media - “Shack Street” by Isabel Angulo of Freedom High School
2nd Place in Mixed Media - “Self Injections” by Cailyn Goodfriend of Lightridge High School
Honorable Mentions - “Moon of the Wuyishan” by Nicholas Ching of Briar Woods High School
Honorable Mentions - “All Be Ukraine!” by Katya Abramaova of Independence High School
Honorable Mentions - “See Her” by Anusha Vayalil of Briar Woods High School

1st Place in Computer Graphics - “United Enclave” by Samantha Widjaja of Riverside High School
2nd Place in Computer Graphics - “Who are you?” by Ryan Lin of Fairfax High School

The biographies of the three judges can be found below:

Abigail “Abi” Gomez: Abigail Gómez is owner and artist at Pretty Girl Painting, a fine art and mural painting business located in the Shenandoah Valley. She is also an adjunct art professor at Shenandoah University. Abigail was appointed by Governor McAuliffe to serve as a Commissioner on the Virginia Commission for the Arts, and is currently Commission Vice Chair. Abigail founded Arte Libre VA, a nonprofit arts organization that empowers Latinx, Black, and Youth of Color through equitable access to quality arts education and programming. Abigail received an MFA in painting from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco CA.  

Brittany Root: Brittany Root is a visual artist, trained in oil painting but enjoys working in a variety of mediums including oil, pastel, acrylic, and pen and ink. She earned her Masters of Arts Management from Carnegie Mellon University and a BA in History and Studio Art from Georgetown University. Brittany creates artwork on commission for private homes and commercial enterprises. In the fall of 2019, she participated in her first sculpture exhibition at the U.S. Botanic Gardens. She currently teaches art at The Langley School in McLean and Art House 7 in Arlington. She serves on the board of directors for McLean Project for the Arts (MPA) organizing exhibition auctions and assisting with programming for adult art education. Ms. Root has a passion for arts education and working with children of all ages to realize their creative potential.

Liz Tenney Jarvis: As a patron of local artists and a promoter of art in the community, Liz was the Chair of the Town of Purcellville’s Arts Council for over six years. During that time, the Arts Council put forth numerous initiatives that brought art to the public sphere (these included art installations, the yearly Pville Cabin Fever Film Festival, arts added to town festivals and recognition of local leaders in the arts). Liz has been called upon on numerous occasions to curate art shows as well as judge art competitions across all mediums and including all ages. 

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