Marin County High School Student Wins Huffman’s 2021 Congressional Art Competition

June 15, 2021

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) today announced that Samuel Lopez of Fairfax is the winner of the 2021 Congressional Art Competition for California’s Second District. 

“Congratulations to Samuel for this achievement. His resolve is beyond anything I’ve seen in my time holding this competition,” said Rep. Huffman. “Samuel has muscular dystrophy and is in a wheelchair. His dedication to continue this hobby, despite the significant challenges he faces even holding a pencil, is a remarkable example of what it means to be resilient and overcome even the most daunting obstacles. Students from across the Second District all demonstrated a similar fortitude and exceptional artistic talent in the face of being separated from the classroom and their peers over the past year. I applaud all of our participants for their endurance and creativity.”

Samuel’s submission, “Boy in a Blue Mask,” will hang in the U.S. Capitol for one year along with artwork from each congressional district in the country. Samuel will also be invited to a reception and receive a certificate of Congressional recognition. This year’s finalists include:

Winner (and Marin County Finalist): Samuel Lopez, Terra Linda High School, “Boy in a Blue Mask”

Mendocino County Finalist: Songe Kvinsland, Mendocino Community High School, “Disco”

Sonoma County Finalist: Kate Chuidian, Windsor High School, “Starstruck” 

Humboldt County Finalist: Fiona McNiel, Academy of the Redwoods, “A Girl in Waiting”

Each spring, the Congressional Institute sponsors a nationwide high school visual art competition to recognize and encourage artistic talent in the nation and in each congressional district. Since the competition began in 1982, more than 650,000 high school students have participated nationwide.

High resolution photos of all the finalists can be found here.