Every year, Members of the U.S. House of Representatives hold an art competition to recognize and celebrate the artistic talents of high school students from each congressional district. The winning artwork from each district is displayed in the U.S. Capitol for one year alongside winners from across our country. It is also featured on House.gov’s Congressional Art Competition page.
The 2025 Congressional Art Competition is open to all high school students in Virginia’s Seventh Congressional District. Artwork submissions are due by Thursday, April 17.
Our office will host an art show with students and judges to select a winner. Please check back for more details.
The following is a summary of the Congressional Art Competition rules:
Artwork entered in the contest may be up to 28 inches by 28 inches, may be up to 4 inches in depth, and not weigh more than 15 pounds. If your artwork is selected as the winning piece, it must arrive framed and must still measure no larger than the above maximum dimensions.Accepted mediums for the two-dimensional artwork are:
- Paintings: oil, acrylics, watercolor, etc.
- Drawings: colored pencil, pencil, ink, marker, pastels, charcoal.
- 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).
DEADLINE: The deadline to submit artwork is Thursday, April 17, 2024.
HOW TO SUBMIT: Students must submit a typed copy — signed by the teacher, a parent or guardian, and the student — of the Student Information and Release Form along with their artwork. Please click here to download the 2025 form. The form must be securely attached to the back of the artwork to certify the originality of the piece.
Students can drop off artwork with their completed form at our district office.
Woodbridge District Office:
2241D Tacketts Mill Dr
Woodbridge, VA 22192
For more information or if you have questions, please contact our office at (703) 987-2180.