The Congressional Art Competition is a beloved, annual tradition in which high school students in nearly every one of the 435 congressional districts exhibits their artwork. Each Member of Congress hosts an individual competition and while each conducts their own competition, this year we are seeing just about every competition change to an online format.

In a shockingly short amount of time, COVID-19 has upended so much of our daily lives. But the Congressional Art Competition continues!

As one of the few bipartisan activities on Capitol Hill, the art competition is an annual highlight for Members to showcase the tremendous talents of students in their districts. The Congressional Institute is pleased to sponsor the competition and since 2009, we have facilitated the annual winners’ reception in Washington, DC. We also facilitate congressional offices’ submission of their first-place winners’ pieces to the office of the Architect of the Capitol, which is responsible for hanging the artwork in the Cannon Tunnel.

Tens of thousands of visitors to the U.S. Capitol complex walk past the artwork each year in addition to lawmakers, staff, and visiting dignitaries. We very much look forward to seeing the 2020 winners’ artwork hanging in the U.S. Capitol.

Adjusting for current events, we have pushed back important dates for the competition. Offices now have until June 4 to provide the name of the winning student to the Congressional Institute and until June 18 to send the first-place winner’s piece to Washington, DC. The reception, originally scheduled for late June, is now scheduled for Wednesday, July 22.

Since the competition began in 1982, more than 700,000 students have submitted artwork for display in the Capitol and in congressional offices throughout the country.

Click here to see a gallery of the 2019 first-place winners and to find links to previous years’ winners.