Each spring, a nation-wide high school arts competition is sponsored by the Members of the U.S. House of Representatives. The Congressional Art Competition is an opportunity to recognize and encourage the artistic talent in the nation, including right here in our Congressional District.
The Congressional Art Competition is open to all high school students who reside or attend school in Virginia's 10th Congressional District. The winning artwork of our district's competition will be displayed for one year in the U.S. Capitol. The exhibit in Washington will include the winning artwork from all participating districts from around the country. The winning artwork is also featured on House.gov's Congressional Art Competition page.
*Students can submit their artwork and required forms using the registration link here*
Rules for the 2023 competition can be found here.
The Student Release form can be found here.
Key Dates:
- *EXTENDED* Registration deadline -- Students need to submit their online registration by April *9*th at 7:00 p.m.
- Art drop off date (to GWU Ashburn Campus, Enterprise Hall) -- April 10th from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Exhibit open for viewing -- April 15th through May 2nd
- Awards Ceremony -- Monday, May 1st at 6:30 p.m. at the George Washington University Ashburn Campus, Discovery Hall
- Art Pick Up Day -- May 2nd from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The following is a summary of the Congressional Art Competition rules:
All work must be in a frame with a wire and hooks. Only exception; canvas stretched on wooden underframe (see rules for details). We are not able accept work if it is not ready to hang in the gallery. Additionally, students will need to print out a copy of their registration and tape it to the back of their framed artwork prior to dropping it off for the exhibit.
There will be 2 exhibits: Virtual Exhibit featured online at wexton.house.gov AND Physical Exhibit at Discovery Hall, GWU Ashburn Campus. Students will submit a photo of their art along with their online registration. Here are additional tips for photographic art.
Types of accepted artwork:
- Paintings - including oil, acrylics, and watercolor
- Drawings - including pastels, colored pencil, pencil, charcoal, ink, and markers (It is recommended that charcoal and pastel drawings be fixed.)
- Collages - must be two dimensional
- Prints - including lithographs, silkscreen, and block prints
- Mixed Media - use of more than two mediums such as pencil, ink, watercolor, etc.
- Computer-generated art
- Photography
*please note: There may not be any identifying information on the front of the artwork: no artist name, school name, or title.
All entries must be original in concept, design and execution and may not violate any 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. Work entered must be in the original medium (that is, not a scanned reproduction of a painting or drawing)
Congresswoman Wexton, along with our distinguished panel of judges, will announce the “Best in Show” and honorable mentions in each category during a reception event in Virginia's 10th district.
This year's VA-10 Congressional Art Competition Awards Ceremony will be held on Monday, May 1st at 6:30 p.m. at the GWU Ashburn Campus, Discovery Hall
