Since 1982, young people from across the country have had the opportunity to display their art inside the United States Capitol – and this year is no different. Eastern Washington’s winner will display his or her piece of art for the thousands of visitors who come to our nation’s Capitol, and three runners-up will have the chance to display their entries in my Spokane, Colville, and Walla Walla offices.

The winning student will be invited to Washington, D.C. for a ribbon-cutting ceremony and will have his or her artwork displayed in the U.S. Capitol for one year. Students grade 7-12 are encouraged to submit various styles and types of art, ranging from paintings and drawings to photography and mixed media pieces. The artwork must be original in design, no more than 15 lbs., and no larger than 26” X 26” X 4” (including the frame). Three runners-up will have their artwork on display in the Congresswoman’s Spokane, Colville, and Walla Walla offices. Each student may submit one piece of artwork.

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.)
• 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

Students should submit a TYPED copy of the 2020 Student Release Form, signed by the teacher, a parent or guardian, and the student and securely attached to the back of the artwork to certify the originality of the piece. Students are asked to retain a copy for their records.

A photo of hard copy submissions, or digital art submissions, should be emailed to Paige.Blackburn@mail.house.gov. The deadline for submission is May 29, 2020, at 5:00 PM. For any further questions on the details of the 2020 Congressional Art Competition, contact Paige Blackburn at Paige.Blackburn@mail.house.gov.