Congressional Art Competition

Each spring, a nation-wide high school arts competition is sponsored by the Members of the U.S. House of Representatives. 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. Today, 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 Artistic Discovery Contest is open to all high school students in the District. The over-all winner of our district's competition will be displayed for one year in the U.S. Capitol. The exhibit in Washington will also include artwork from other contest winners nation-wide.

Congressman Case’s office is now accepting submissions for the 2025 Congressional Art Competition. Please see the requirements and submission guidelines below.

Congratulations to our 2024 Winners!

1st Place
Emily Yanos
Land of Love

2nd Place
Kai Yara
Weaving Tradition – Lei

3rd Place
Amelia Sofos
Thank you for growing with us

Requirements

Artwork must be two-dimensional. Each framed artwork can be no larger than 26 inches high, 26 inches wide, and 4 inches deep. If your artwork is selected as the winning piece, it must arrive in Washington, DC, framed. Even when framed, it must still measure no larger than the above maximum dimensions. 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.)
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

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. For more information on copyright laws, you can visit the Scholastic website or read this Guide to Copyright and Plagiarism.

The 2025 Rules for Students and Teachers have not yet been distributed by the Congressional Institute. However, rules have remained substantially the same as previous years. For additional information on requirements, please review the 2024 Rules for Students and Teachers.

Submissions Guidelines

A TYPED copy of the student Information and Release Form, signed by the teacher, a parent or guardian, and the student, must be securely attached to the back of the artwork to certify the originality of the piece. Please retain a copy for your records. Click here to fill out the release form.

To submit your piece, please drop off your artwork to Congressman Case’s Honolulu district office (1003 Bishop Street, Suite 1110) or contact my Honolulu district office at (808) 650-6688 to make submission arrangements.

The deadline to submit artwork to be considered for the 2025 competition is Friday, April 11, 2025. If you are submitting your work in-person, please drop off your work by 4:30 p.m. HST.

Please return to this page for updates regarding the art exhibition and in-person Congressional Art Competition Ceremony.

If you would like more information on my annual Congressional Art Competition, please submit the form below. Please only complete this form if you are a resident of Hawaii’s First Congressional District. You must contact your representative to confirm your district’s participation and obtain specific guidance. You may find your representative here.

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Student Information

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Parent or Guardian Information

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School Information

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