Congressional Art Competition

The 2022 Congressional Art Competition is now underway and the application period is officially open! This competition is open to all students grades 8-12 in the Second Congressional District of Arkansas.

Every year, I am blown away by the talent here in central Arkansas and enjoy having the opportunity to highlight the hard work of our young artists. The winning artwork from this year’s competition will be displayed for a year in the U.S. Capitol for Members, staff, and visitors to see. I am also excited to bring back the Fan Favorite Award, voted on by the public, which will be displayed in my Little Rock office for the year.

Catherine Kwon, of Little Rock, won the 2021 Congressional Art Challenge in the Second Congressional District. Previously a senior at the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts in Hot Springs. Currently, Catherine is currently a first-year student at Yale University, planning to double major in the Stem-field and art. Her submission, Burnout, was influenced by her childhood and the idea of comparisons – different places foster different communities, fostering different expectations.

Every year, the tunnel leading towards the U.S. Capitol is lined with artwork from across the nation. I take great pride in having the opportunity to highlight the work of central Arkansas students to all who visit.

The deadline for this year’s competition is Monday, April 25th. For this year’s competition, students have the option to choose from an array of mediums for their artwork. These include paintings (oil, acrylics, watercolor), drawings (pastels, pencil, charcoal, ink, etc.), collages (must be two-dimensional), prints (lithographs, silkscreen, block prints), photography, and mixed media – using two or more mediums to create the art. Artwork entered may be up to 26 inches by 26 inches, 4 inches in depth, and cannot weigh more than 15 pounds. All work must be original in concept, design, and execution.

All students may submit one piece of 2D artwork and should coordinate their submissions through their art teachers. Instead of delivering the artwork to our office, this year students should provide a close-up, high quality photo of their artwork to be used for voting purposes and an additional photo of themselves with their artwork to showcase if they win! Voting for the Fan Favorite Award will take place on my official Facebook page from April 29 – May 4th. Winners for both categories will be announced on my Facebook page shortly afterwards.

The winner of the 2022 Congressional Art Competition will be invited to Washington, D.C., to attend a congratulatory reception. Two roundtrip flight vouchers will be provided for the winner and a guest/ guardian to attend the reception.

I look forward to seeing the tremendous work of our local artists and having the opportunity to highlight central Arkansas on the national stage. Artwork should be submitted to my Little Rock office – further details are available on my website at hill.house.gov or by calling (501) 324-5491.