Art Competition

Art Competition:

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

The Artistic Discovery Contest is open to all high school students in the 8th District. The over-all winner of our district's competition will be displayed for one year in the U.S. Capitol. The winner of the People’s Choice Award (artwork with the most likes, comments, and shares on Rep. Larry Bucshon’s Facebook page) will hang in Congressman Bucshon’s Washington D.C. office for a year. The exhibit in Washington will also include artwork from other contest winners nation-wide, as well as featured on House.gov's Congressional Art Competition page. The student with the winning art piece will receive an invitation to the Congressional awards ceremony in Washington D.C. in June.

Submission Process:

All submissions are due by Friday, April 5, 2024.

Art intake will be done by scheduling a time to drop off the artwork at a district office (Terre Haute, Evansville, Jasper, or Vincennes) or by having a staff member pickup artwork at a local high school. Each entry MUST include a copy of the release form. Click Here to Fill out the release form and print/attach a copy to the back of the artwork. Please email Brenda Goff to coordinate details at Brenda.Goff@mail.house.gov or call at 812-465-6484.

Along with your submission, please email the following to Brenda.Goff@mail.house.gov

· A clear, high-resolution picture of the student’s artwork uploaded in a PDF, JPEG, or PNG file.

· A scanned, signed copy of the Student Information & Release Form, complete to the best of the student’s ability, and uploaded as a PDF.

All art submissions will be placed in a gallery show located at the Arts Council of Southwestern Indiana in Evansville at a later date.

A virtual online gallery will be available on the Congressman’s Facebook page that will launch in early May.

Rules & Guidelines:

Artwork must be two-dimensional. Art works entered in the contest may be up to 26 inches by 26 inches by 4 inches in depth (including the frame). Artwork cannot weigh more than 15 pounds. The art work may be:

Paintings - including oil, acrylics, and watercolor
Drawings - including pastels, colored pencil, pencil, charcoal, ink, and markers
Collage
Prints - including lithographs, silkscreen, and block prints
Mixed Media
Computer Generated Art
Photography

All entries must be original in concept, design and execution and may not violate any U.S. copyright laws. Artwork must adhere to the policy of the House Office Building Commission. In accordance with this policy, exhibits depicting subjects of contemporary political controversy or a sensationalistic or gruesome nature are not allowed.

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 more on copyright and plagiarism click here.

The rules, checklist, and release form for the competition can be found below.

Please attach the links for the following:

Rules and Regs

Student release form