Congressional Art Competition

Beginning in 1982, the United States House of Representatives has sponsored the Congressional Art Competition, An Artistic Discovery for high school students across our nation. Since then, over 650,000 high school students have been involved in the nationwide competition. The annual competition provides an opportunity for students across the country to exhibit their artwork and receive national recognition. The competition also symbolizes the important role that the arts play in American society.

The competition will focus on all high school students residing within U.S. Representative Panetta's 19^th Congressional District, which comprises portions of Monterey, Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, and San Luis Obispo Counties.

Each student is eligible to submit one (1) work of visual art. Artwork entered in the contest must be original in execution, may be up to 26 inches by 26 inches, 4 inches in depth, and cannot weigh more than 15 pounds. two-dimensional

The artwork may be:

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 must be submitted in person to any of my district offices in South San Jose, Santa Cruz, Monterey, or Paso Robles no later than Wednesday, April 16, 2025, by 5:00pm PST.

Digital submissions will not be accepted.

Before submitting your artwork, please review the full rules and regulations for the Congressional Art Competition.

Each entrant must submit a Student Information and Release Form. The form requires a description of the artwork, which should be detailed, clearly identifying the major elements of the work.

The 1st place winning artwork will be sent to the Capitol building in Washington, D.C. for the nationwide exhibition, where it will be displayed for the remainder of the 1^st Session of the 119^th Congress. The winner will also be invited to attend the nationwide Art Competition Reception at the Capitol, which will take place on June 11, 2025.

WINNERS OF THE 2024 CONGRESSIONAL ART COMPETITION

Last year, 39 students from across California’s 19th Congressional District submitted original pieces of artwork to the Congressional Art Competition. Pieces covered an array of artistic mediums, styles, and subject matter. Of the submissions, Representative Panetta recognized eight outstanding pieces by local students during a reception in Santa Cruz.

The full list of winners and honorees for the 2024 Congressional Art Competition are below:

First Place: Selina Ge, Leland High School, “Say Cheese”
Second Place: Ky Dahle, Carmel High School, “Nostalgia”
Third Place: Christiana Kvitek, Carmel High School, “Human Matrix”
Honorable Mention for Technical Skill: Zhuolin (Lynn) Fu, Stevenson School, “The Silent Wait”
Honorable Mention for Drawing: Ivanna Kirsebom Delsol, Monterey High School, “Sonder”
Honorable Mention for Landscape: Jasmine Choi, Santa Catalina School, “The Day in the Hacienda”
Honorable Mention for Composition: Lydia Vaz, Leland High School, “Content”
Honorable Mention for Concept: Sophia Kemmerly, Carmel High School “Paranormal Party”

Previous Winners: