Art & App Competitions
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 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 12th 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.
Art works entered in the contest may be up to 26 inches by 26 inches (including the frame), may be up to 4 inches in depth, and may weigh no more than 15 pounds. The art work may be:
- Paintings - including oil, acrylics, and watercolor
- Drawings - including pastels, colored pencil, pencil, charcoal, ink, and markers
- Collage
- Prints - including lithographs, silkscreen, and block prints
- Mixed Media
- Computer Generated Art
- Photography
All entries must be an original in concept, design and execution.
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.
NOW ACCEPTING SUBMISSIONS. THE DEADLINE FOR ALL APPLICATIONS IS APRIL 22, 2024.
Please email submissions to ca12artisticdiscovery@mail.house.gov including a photo of the artwork and the below completed forms.
2024 Congressional Art Competition Student Information & Release Form
Thank you to everyone who is participating in the Congressional Art Competition. If you have any follow-up questions, please email ca12artisticdiscovery@mail.house.gov.
Congressional App Challenge
The Annual Congressional App Challenge, being hosted by the Internet Education Foundation (IEF), is a nationwide competition created to engage high school students in coding and computer science. Middle and High School students are encouraged to work in teams to create an app, defined as a piece of software that “receives an input, performs some function, and then produces an output.” These apps will then be judged by a panel, and the winning application will be sent the #HouseOfCode Reception in Washington, DC* to be displayed in the Capitol with winning applications from districts around the country. Apps are due by November 1st.
Additional Guidance:
- No prior computer science coursework is necessary to participate.
- All entries must be original in concept, design, and execution.
- Check out the Congressional App Challenge’s past winners!
- New to coding? Join the fun and learn to code with these online resources.
For additional questions about the Congressional App Challenge, call 510-763-0370.