Congressional Art Competition

DEADLINE: April 11th, 2025 — Artwork Submission Deadline

REGISTRATION HERE

Student Release Form Here

Each spring, a nation-wide high school arts competition is sponsored by the Members of the U.S. House of Representatives. The Congressional Art Competition is an opportunity to recognize and encourage the artistic talent in the nation, as well as in our congressional district.

The Congressional Art Competition is open to all high school students who reside in or attend school in the District. The over-all winner 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.

For this year's Congressional Art Competition, Congressman Casar is asking for entries to follow the theme of HOPE: 

“Hopelessness is the greatest enemy of justice, and so this year, I’m asking students from Austin, to Hays County, to San Antonio to submit artwork that centers on hope. What gives you hope for Texas and our country? What does the future look like for you and your community? I can’t wait to see what our talented students come up with!"

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

Artwork Requirements

Artwork must be two-dimensional. Each framed artwork can be no larger than 26 inches high, 26 inches wide, and 4 inches deep. If your artwork is selected as the winning piece, it must arrive in Washington, DC, framed. Even when framed, it must still measure no larger than the above maximum dimensions. No framed piece should weigh more than 15 pounds.

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

• Paintings: oil, acrylics, watercolor, etc.
• Drawings: colored pencil, pencil, ink, marker, pastels, charcoal (Charcoal and pastel drawings must 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

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. Work entered must be in the original medium (that is, not a scanned reproduction of a painting or drawing). No 3-D art will be accepted. 

A full description of the 2025 rules can be found here.

Submissions and Deadlines

The deadline to submit your 2025 Congressional Art Competition entry is April 11th.

All entries must be submitted here. Submissions should include a high resolution image of the artwork and the Student Information Release Form. Late submissions or submissions without the appropriate form will not be accepted.

If you want to apply for the annual Congressional Art Competition please complete the form here. 

Should you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Irene Chavez Galvan at Congressman Casar’s office via email at: irene.chavezgalvan@mail.house.gov.