Congressman Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) announced this week that the 2017 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.

“I am excited to announce the kickoff of our 2017 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 or an approved drop off location no later than Wednesday, April 26.

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.

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).

Del Norte County Supervisor Berkowitz, who worked with a former congressman for this district said, “One of the enjoyable parts of working in the House of Representatives office buildings is being able to view student art work submitted by students from all 435 congressional districts in the United States.  It is a very impressive site.”

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:

Haley Bjursten of Corte Madera (2016), 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 26”h x 26”w x 4”d, including frame (frame optional unless selected as winner).
• Artwork cannot weigh more than 15 pounds.

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 Huffman’s office or website.

Educators and students seeking more information may visit Huffman’s website or the official House of Representatives competition webpage.[custom-facebook-feed]