Congressional Art Competition
Each spring, my office participates in Artistic Discovery, The Congressional Art Competition. This nation-wide high school arts competition gives Members of Congress an opportunity to celebrate and showcase artistic talent from their Congressional District.
This competition is open to all high school students in San Francisco. If you are enrolled in a San Francisco Unified School District high school and would like to participate, please reach out to your Art teacher or school’s Art Coordinator for details on how to participate in this year’s competition. If you are not an SFUSD student, but are a high school student living in San Francisco, you may apply to participate in this year’s competition by submitting your information in the fields below.
Artwork is judged for its technical skill and originality, and a winner is selected for our District’s Congressional Art Competition. Please note that the following guidelines must be followed for artwork to be deemed eligible for submission.
- Artwork can be no longer than 26 inches high, 26 inches wide, and 4 inches deep, including the frame.
- 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 (It is recommended that charcoal and pastel drawings be fixed.)
- Prints: lithographs, silk screen, block prints
- Mixed Media: use of more than two mediums such as pencil, ink, watercolor, etc.
- Collages (must be two dimensional)
- Computer-generated art
- Photographs
- Each entry must be original in concept, design, and execution and may not violate U.S. copyright laws.
- Work must be entered in its original medium.
Dead Air by Jackson Vu, Winner of the 2020 Congressional Art Competition for California’s 12th Congressional District
We encourage all students interested in the competition to participate. The winning artwork will be displayed for a year in the United States’ Capitol. Our 2020 winning artwork, Dead Air by Jackson Vu, is currently on display in the Cannon Tunnel. This tunnel joins the Cannon House Office Building to the United States’ Capitol and gives visitors to the Capitol an opportunity to enjoy the exceptional artwork.
Please contact our office at (415) 556-4862 for more information or with any questions regarding participation in the 2021 Congressional Art Competition.
PAST WINNERS
- 2019: Valentin Nguyen, "I am a Star?"
- 2018: Khianna Byrne, Self Portrait
- 2017: Sofia Riley, Women at Work
- 2016: Jenny Situ, Fading Light
- 2015: Marisa Ling, Surgery and Haircuts: A Song of Farewell
- 2014: Kai Lun Qu, Trees
- 2013: Man Hei Cheung, Portrait of a Friend
- 2012: Reilly Sandine Jones, Self-Portrait
- 2011: Sophia Lin, Safety vs. Freedom
- 2010: Claire Kowalewski Marsh, Blue Bottle
- 2009: Brandon Wu, Three Lanterns
- 2008: Coral Murakami, Down the Drain
- 2007: Celia Kitchell, Father
- 2006: Priscilla Wong, Virtue, Vindicated?
- 2005: Alvin Tam, Vanity
- 2004: Aya Ino, San Francisco Ladies
- 2003: Jason Wang, Dusk at the Gate
- 2002: Janice Hsiao, The Flag Still Stands
- 2001: Minh Tu Duong, Music and Tea
- 2000: Sophia Knapp, Self-Portrait
- 1999: Chika Nakamoto, Victorian House
- 1998: Felipe Merida, Remembering California's Mexican Heritage
- 1997: Helen Fannie Chow, Raccoons
- 1996: Ernesto Giuaman, Mi Barrio
- 1995: Alice Edward, Oishi Ekibu
- 1994: Peregrine Lannin-Honig, Baby (Youth and Plastic Surgery)
- 1993: Hilary Ciment, Fruit and Vegetable
- 1992: Hilary Ciment, Self-portrait
To apply to participate in the 2021 Congressional Art Competition, please fill in your information and submit the form provided below. Once you submit your information, our office will notify you, via email, and provide detailed instructions on how to submit a photo of your final artwork. Artwork must be submitted by Friday, June 11 to be considered.