Annual Competition for PA-17 High School Students Moves to All-Digital Format with Submissions Due Friday, May 29 at 5:00 PM
(PITTSBURGH, PA) – Today, Representative Conor Lamb (PA-17) announced that due to the coronavirus public health crisis, the 2020 Congressional Art Competition is moving to an all-digital submission format and is open to all high school students in grades 9-12 living in Pennsylvania’s 17th Congressional District. Lamb’s office is now accepting entries for the annual nationwide competition which is sponsored by the Congressional Institute and recognizes young artists across the nation. All submissions are due by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, May 29, 2020 via e-mail to PA17ArtComp@mail.house.gov.
“Last year, I was blown away by the creativity of the young people in our district and I think now more than ever it’s important to provide students with an outlet to express their thoughts and ideas,” said Lamb. “I encourage all interested students in the district to participate this year and look forward to recognizing the incredible talents of our region’s young artists.”
A virtual panel of independent artists and educators will serve as judges to select the winning student pieces. The top PA-17 winner’s artwork will be displayed for one year in the Cannon Tunnel of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. The winner from PA-17 is also eligible to receive a $3,000-per-year scholarship to the Savannah College of Art and Design.
Artwork submitted for consideration in the contest must be two-dimensional and may be up to 26 inches (high) by 26 inches (wide) by up to 4 inches (deep), and cannot weigh more than 15 pounds, including the frame. Accepted mediums are as follows:
- Paintings: including oil, acrylics, and watercolor;
- Drawings: including pastels, colored pencil, pencil, charcoal, ink, and markers;
- Collages: must be two dimensional;
- Prints: including lithographs, silk screen, and block prints;
- Mixed Media: use of more than two mediums such as pencil ink, watercolor, etc.;
- Computer Generated Art; and
- Photography.
All entries 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 will not be accepted. For more information on copyright laws, please click here.
Students should submit their artwork as a JPEG clearly showing the entire work of art. Entries must be e-mailed to PA17ArtComps@mail.house.gov by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, May 29, 2020. The email should also include a copy of the Student Release Form, which should be signed by the student and parent/guardian. We recognize that teachers will not be able to sign this form, and our office will make necessary arrangements to acquire teacher signatures as needed when it is feasible to do so.
The 2019 Congressional Art Competition winner from PA-17 was Mt. Lebanon High School student Alayna Hollist for her colored pencil piece “The Candy Shop” which is currently on display in the U.S. Capitol along with more than 430 other winning works from every congressional district in the country.
For more information about the competition, please visit lamb.house.gov or send an email to PA17ArtComp@mail.house.gov.