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Art Competition


Congresswoman Bonamici with 2017 Art Competition winner Jessica Xiao.

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 the artistic talent in the nation, as well as in our Congressional District.

The Artistic Discovery Contest is open to all high school students in our District. The winning artwork of our district's competition will be displayed for one year in the U.S. Capitol. The exhibit in Washington will include the winning artwork from all participating districts from around the country. The winning artwork is also featured on House.gov's Congressional Art Competition page. 

The following is a summary of the Congressional Art Competition rules:

The competition is open to high school students who live in the district. Artwork must be the creation of a single student. Students may not collaborate on an entry. One entry per student.

Artwork must be two-dimensional. Each framed artwork can be no larger than 26 inches high, 26 inches wide, and 4 inches deep. It is not a requirement to frame your piece to submit to the competition, but please keep the measurements above in mind. Congresswoman Bonamici's office will send the winning piece to Washington, DC for display and can assist with framing process.

Accepted mediums for the two-dimensional artwork are as follows:

  • Paintings: oil, acrylics, watercolor, etc.
  • Drawings: colored pencil, pencil, ink, marker, pastels, charcoal (It is recommended that charcoal and pastel drawings be fixed.)
  • Collages: must be two-dimensional
  • Prints: lithographs, silkscreen, block prints
  • Mixed Media: use of more than two mediums such as pencil, ink, watercolor, etc.
  • Computer-generated art
  • Photographs

Each entry must be original in concept, design, and execution and may not violate 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.

The rules, checklist, and release form for the competition are posted at the Art Competition page on http://House.gov. The deadline to submit art is April 29, 2024.

All entries for this competition must be received in Congresswoman Bonamici’s Beaverton District Office no later than 5:30 pm on Monday April 29, 2024. Art may be mailed to the Beaverton office at 12725 SW Millikan Way, Suite 220, Beaverton, OR 97005 or call 503-469-6010 to arrange an appointment to drop off in-person.