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Mural art

Congressional Art Competition

The Congressional Art Competition began in 1982 to provide an opportunity for members of Congress to encourage and recognize the artistic talents of their young constituents. Since then, over 650,000 high school students have been involved in the nationwide competition.

Each spring, members of the U.S. House of Representatives receive artistic submission from their districts. The winning artwork of our district's competition is displayed for one year in the U.S. Capitol, alongside winning artwork from other districts across the United States.

The Congressional Art Competition is open to all high school students in IL-04. You can look up your district here.

Competition Guidelines

The accepted mediums are as follows:

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

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). For a full list of rules and regulations for the competition, click here.

Submission Details 

Your artwork must fit the physical specifications given by the Art Competition, but to enter, a student must send the attached privacy form and complete the google form with a high-quality photo of their piece. Our panel of judges will consider each piece and will decide on which to send to Washington D.C. We are currently accepting applications until Friday, April 19, 2024 at 11:59 PM CST.

Note: You may fill it in electronically, however, the signatures must be physically signed. For questions or concerns, contact us at (773) 342-0774 or (773) 475-0833. You may also email us at IL04.Art@mail.house.gov.

You can download the Student Release Form here.

The google submission form is here.

You can look up your district here.

 

Past Winners 

Mariana Calderon, 2023

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Mariana Calderon, 2023

 

Angela Casas, 2022

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2022 Art Winner

 

Katherrin A. Bilordo, 2021

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Picture of 2021 Congressional Art Competition Winner Katherine A. Billordo

Wendolyn Reyes, 2019

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Rep. Garcia with constituents