Congressional Art Competition

Each spring, the Congressional Institute sponsors a nationwide high school visual art competition to recognize and encourage artistic talent in each congressional district. Since the competition began in 1982, more than 650,000 high school students have participated. Students can submit entries to their local representative’s office, which will engage with a panel of artists to judge and select the winning entry. Winners are recognized both in their district and at an annual awards ceremony in Washington, DC. The winning works are displayed for one year at the U.S. Capitol in the Cannon Tunnel. The competition is open to students in grades 7-12. To learn more about the competition, please call our Malden office at (617) 354-0292 or email Josh.Lam@mail.house.gov. 

2024 Competiton - OPEN for Submissions

Deadline: May 3, 2024 

Theme: Hometown Pride (NOTE: Self-portraits will not be accepted)

Required: A completed Release Form

Rules: The student's original artwork must be two-dimensional. Each framed artwork can be no larger than 26x26x4 (26 inches high, 26 inches wide, and 4 inches deep, including the frame). If your artwork is selected as the winning piece, you must frame it in a wooden or metal frame. The winner will be contacted by our office and instructed on how to send in their artwork for display in the Capitol building. No framed piece should weigh more than 15 pounds. Each entry 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 (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. Additionally, the work entered must be in the original medium (that is, not a scanned reproduction of a painting or drawing). For more information about the annual Congressional Art Competition please read the 2024 Rules and Regulations.

Entry: Please send your release form and a digital copy of your artwork to Samira Rouba at samira.rouba@mail.house.gov. Dropoff for winners will be coordinated at the conclusion of the judging period.

Congressional App Challenge

The Congressional App Challenge is designed to inspire innovative efforts around Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM), as well as coding and computer science education, for our nation’s youth. Every year, the Internet Education Foundation holds the competition to inspire students to engage STEM education, as well as recognize students who have been working hard within these fields. Each winning app may be put on display in the U.S. Capitol Building for one year.  

Arlington's Mori Finlayson-Johnecheck was chosen as the 2023 winner for Congresswoman Katherine Clark's district. Finlayson-Johnecheck's app, called "BlockStatus" is an all-in-one scheduling app designed to help high school students track important announcements and manage busy workloads.