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Congressional Art Competition

Art Competition

Congressman Graves is inviting students from the Sixth Congressional District to participate in the 2023 Congressional Art Competition. Members of the U.S. House of Representatives sponsor a nation-wide high school arts competition, to recognize and encourage the artistic talent in the nation, as well as in our congressional district.

The Congressional Art Competition is open to all high school students in the Sixth Congressional District. This is a great opportunity for students to represent their school in both our local region as well as on the national level. The winning artwork of our district's competition will be displayed for one year in the U.S. Capitol. Runners up will hang in our offices in D.C. and the district.

art comp

The following is a summary of the Congressional Art Competition rules:

Artwork entered in the contest may be up to 26 inches by 26 inches, may be up to 4 inches in depth, and not weigh more than 15 pounds. If your artwork is selected as the winning piece, it must arrive framed and must still measure no larger than the above maximum dimensions.

  • 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

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).

To obtain rules, checklist, and entry form for the 2023 competition, please call our Baton Rouge District Office at 225-442-1731

Once your entry has been submitted, a local artist will select the winning entries. Winners are recognized at a district reception in Baton Rouge and at an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C.

The deadline to have your art submitted to our office for the 2024 Congressional Art Competition is March 28, 2024

If you would like any further information on the annual Congressional Art Competition please contact our Baton Rouge office or visit the Artistic Discovery website.

The final decision regarding the suitability of all artwork for the 2023 Congressional Art Competition exhibition in the Capitol will be made by a panel of qualified persons chaired by the Architect of the Capitol.  Artwork must adhere to the policy of the House Office Building Commission. In accordance with this policy, exhibits depicting subjects of contemporary political controversy or a sensationalistic or gruesome nature are not allowed. It is necessary that all artwork be reviewed by the panel chaired by the Architect of the Capitol and any portion not in consonance with the Commission’s policy will be omitted from the exhibit.

In case you missed it, click 'here' below for the corresponding documents:

For more information, click here for the guidelines, here for the rules, and here for student release and entry forms.