Each spring, members of Congress sponsor a nationwide high school arts competition. The Congressional Art Competition is an opportunity to recognize and encourage artistic talent across the nation, including in Indiana’s 2nd Congressional District. Since the contest began in 1982, more than 650,000 high school students have been involved.
The 2024 Congressional Art Competition is open to all high school students in the 2nd District, and submissions will be accepted from March 25th through April 12th. The winning submission will be displayed for one year in the U.S. Capitol alongside the artwork of other contest winners nationwide. Additionally, all submitted artwork will hang at the South Bend Airport until May 15th.
Entering the Art Competition
If you would like to take part in the 2024 Congressional Art Competition, please carefully review the Rules and Regulations, additional instructions, and information below.
To submit artwork, please complete and sign the Information & Release Form, Student Checklist, and South Bend Airport disclaimer. Then call us and schedule an appointment to bring these forms along with your labeled artwork to one of our district offices:
Mishawaka District Office
2410 Grape Road
Mishawaka, IN 46545
Open Mon-Fri, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. ET
Call (574) 204-2645 to schedule an appointment.
Rochester District Office
709 Main Street
Rochester, IN 46975
Open Thursdays, 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. ET
Call (574) 223-4373 to schedule an appointment
If your school is outside a 35-mile radius of the office, please contact us to arrange a date for the artwork to be picked up prior to Friday, April 12th. If you have any questions, please call the Mishawaka District Office at (574) 204-2645.
All artwork, including frame (frame not required unless chosen as the winning piece), should be no larger than 26 inches high, 26 inches wide, and 4 inches deep, and should weigh no more than 15 pounds. The artwork may be:
- Paintings – including oil, acrylics, and watercolor;
- Drawings – including colored pencil, pencil, ink, marker, pastels, and charcoal (it is recommended that charcoal and pastel drawings be fixed);
- Collages – must be two-dimensional;
- Prints – including lithographs, silkscreen, and block prints;
- Mixed Media – use of more than two mediums such as pencil, ink, and watercolor;
- Computer-Generated Art; or
- Photographs.
Each entry must be original in concept, design, and execution and may not violate U.S. copyright laws. You can learn more about copyright and plagiarism here.