Art Competition Winners

On Tuesday, June 2, Congressman Lee Zeldin announced the winners of the sixth annual Congressional Art Competition for local high school students. In light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s art competition was entirely online.

The House of Representatives hosts a nationwide high school art competition every spring to raise awareness of the importance of art programs in our schools, and to recognize and celebrate the creativity and diversity of students.

This year’s first-place winner is Victoria Havens of Eastport-South Manor Junior-Senior High School. Havens’s artwork will be displayed in the
U. S. Capitol building for a year and she will receive a $3000 scholarship from the Savannah College of Art and Design and Tennessee Wesleyan College should she choose to pursue an art career at one of the institutions.

Second-place winner is Gillian Zarate of Longwood High School, and third-place winner is Caroline Pennacchio of Smithtown Christian School, who will have their artwork displayed in Zeldin’s Patchogue office.

The other nine finalists include Elizabeth Button of Eastport-South Manor, Grace Commisso of Patchogue-Medford High School, Kathleen Connelly of Eastport-South Manor, Grace Hayes of Westhampton Beach High School, Cynthia Lin of Southampton High School, Gavin Palladino of Smithtown Christian School, Cassidy Photos of Ward Melville High School, Emma Rocchetta of Eastport-South Manor, and Cheyenne Syrek of Smithtown Christian School.

“In light of the novel coronavirus, this year’s art competition was a little different, but the quality and talent of young artists from across our district remained unparalleled, which made this year’s competition especially challenging,” Zeldin said. “It’s an honor to be able to recognize their talent, creativity and hard work, and I look forward to seeing what each and every one of them does next.”

desiree@indyeastend.com