Art Competition
2021 Winning artwork: Lydia by Angelina Rodgers
Each Spring, a nation-wide 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 artistic talents across the Nation.
The 4th District of Florida's Congressional Artistic Discovery Competition is open to all high school students in our District. The winning artwork will be displayed for one year in the Cannon Tunnel of the U.S. Capitol. The Washington Exhibit will include winning artwork from all participating districts. All winning artwork will be featured by state on the House.gov Congressional Art Competition page: https://www.congressionalinstitute.org/how-to-enter/.
A panel of judges will rank the submissions and choose one overall winner and other Honorable Mentions.
All participants, their parents, art teachers, and principals will be invited to an Artistic Discovery Celebration hosted by Congressman John Rutherford. The Congressman will present each participant with a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition.
If you would like more information on the annual Congressional District Art Competition, please contact the District Office at 904-831-5205.
Art Competition Rules:
Artwork must be two-dimensional and matted. Each entry can be no larger than 26 inches high by 26 inches wide and 4 inches deep. The winning piece must arrive framed and must still measure no larger than the above maximum dimensions and not weigh more than 15 pounds. Only the winning entry must be framed, and our office will assist with the framing.
Accepted mediums for the two-dimensional artwork are as follows:
· 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 like 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.
Student Submission and Information Form:
All submissions must be brought to the District Office or picked up by Ditrict Staff, please call the office for deadline information. Be sure to title your submission and include your name on the back of your submission.
Each entrant must also submit a copy of the Student Information Form, which can be found below. The form may be attached to the artwork or submitted with it. Be sure to include the student's contact information as well as the art teacher's information and the parental contact information. In addition, please submit a one-paragraph biography of the artist and a statement about how and why the artist created the work. This will be helpful for the judges to "get to know the artist."
Please complete a description of the artwork, which should be detailed, clearly identifying the major elements of the work. For example, “self-portrait” or “picture of two people” would be unacceptable since many submissions might fit those descriptions. Following is an example of a useful description: “A painting of two people, the person on the left wears a green sweater and khaki pants; the person on the right wears a black shirt and a striped skirt. A dog sits at their feet.”
The overall winner will have to complete a legal release and a certification that the artwork is original in design and execution. The overall winning work must be in the original medium. The student, an art teacher, and a parent or guardian must sign the form. Framing guidelines for the winning artwork will be discussed once a winner has been selected.