Congressional Art Competition
Each spring, a nationwide high school arts competition is sponsored by the members of the U.S. House of Representatives. The Artistic Discovery Contest is an opportunity to recognize and encourage the artistic talent in the nation, as well as each congressional district.
This is Congressman Lee Zeldin’s sixth year hosting the Artistic Discovery Contest, open to all high school students in his district. In light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s art competition will be entirely online. High school students can submit their original artwork online by May 31 to be considered for this year’s competition.
The winners of this year’s competition will be announced June 2 on Zeldin’s Facebook page.
The first-place winner’s artwork will be displayed in the United States Capitol for one year and receive a $3000 scholarship from The Savannah College of Art and Design and Tennessee Wesleyan University should the winner choose to pursue an art career at one of these institutions.
The second and third-place winners will have their artwork displayed in Zeldin’s Patchogue office.
Artwork entered in the contest may be up to 28 inches by 28 inches, up to four inches in depth, and not weigh more than 15 pounds. If artwork is selected as a winning piece, it must arrive framed and must still measure no larger than the aforementioned maximum dimensions.
Paintings may include oil, acrylics, and watercolor; drawings pastels, colored pencil, pencil, charcoal, ink, and markers; collages must be two-dimensional; prints include lithographs, silkscreen, and block prints; mixed media submissions must use of more than two mediums, such as pencil, ink, watercolor, etc.; and computer-generated art and photography may also be submitted.
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.
To learn more and submit artwork, local high school students can visit www.zeldin.house.gov/artcompetition.