Rep. Jared Huffman Invites North Coast High School Students to Enter the Congressional Art Competition

March 15, 2016

WASHINGTON—Today, Congressman Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) announced that the 2016 Congressional Art Competition is open to all High School students in California’s Second Congressional District, which spans from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Oregon border. The annual art contest is held by the U.S. Congress for high school students across the country, and this year’s theme for Rep. Huffman’s constituents is “The Working Landscapes and People of the North Coast.”

“I am excited to announce the kickoff of our 2016 Congressional Art Competition, an opportunity for Congress to recognize and encourage the artistic talent of our high school students. I invite young artists from up and down California’s North Coast to join their peers across the nation in an opportunity to showcase their art in the U.S. Capitol Building,” Huffman said.

Students must submit completed works to one of Congressman Huffman’s district offices no later than Friday, April 15th, 2016.

The winning artwork will be exhibited in the U.S. Capitol Building for one year alongside artwork from each Congressional District in the country.  The winning student will receive two round-trip tickets to Washington, D.C., to attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony and reception for the new display in June 2016. All participants will receive a certificate of recognition. The winner will also be eligible for a scholarship to attend Savannah College of Art and Design (upon admission acceptance).

Semi-finalist competitions will take place in each county, and a district-wide competition will select the winner of the Second District. Previous winners include Jenna Tooley of Novato (2015) and Jee Young Bhan of Larkspur (2014).

Guidelines for the Congressional Art Competition:

  • Artwork must be two-dimensional.
  • Each piece can be no larger than 28” x 28” x 4” (28 inches high, 28 inches wide, and 4 inches deep), including a frame (frame optional unless selected as winner).
  • Artwork cannot weigh more than 15 lbs.
  • Acceptable media for artwork are as follows:
  • Paintings: oil, acrylics, watercolor, etc.
  • Drawings: pastels, colored pencil, pencil, charcoal, ink, markers
  • Collage: two dimensional
  • Prints: lithographs, silkscreen, block prints
  • Mixed Media: use of more than two mediums such as pencil, ink, watercolor, etc.
  • Computer-Generated Art
  • Photography

All submissions must be accompanied by a completed Student Information/Release Form obtained from Congressman Huffman’s office or website. 

Educators and students seeking more information may Congressman Huffman’s website or the official House of Representatives competition webpage. 

The Congressional Art Competition began in 1982 to provide an opportunity for members of Congress to encourage and recognize the artistic talents of their young constituents. Since then, over 650,000 high school students have been involved with the nationwide competition.

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