Press Release
Posted:
Washington – Today, Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-04) announced the 2025 Congressional Art Competition for all high school students in California’s Fourth Congressional District.
“Every year, I look forward to the Congressional Art Competition. It is a wonderful chance to showcase the incredible talent of students across our district,” said Thompson. “I am excited to see this year’s submissions and encourage all high school students to submit their artwork.”
The winning artwork from our district will be displayed in the United States Capitol for one year alongside the winning pieces of artwork from other Congressional Districts. In addition, the grand prize winner from our district will be flown with a guest to Washington, D.C. to attend an awards ceremony. The day of the ceremony will be announced soon.
Napa County’s Taylor Webster won last year’s competition for her piece “Forlorn” which is composed of charcoal pencil. Taylor’s work is currently displayed in the U.S. Capitol.
Artwork must be submitted in person by April 17th to one of Rep. Thompson’s district offices:
- 2721 Napa Valley Corporate Drive, Napa, CA 94558
- 2300 County Center Drive, Suite A100, Santa Rosa, CA 95403
- 622 Main Street, Suite 106, Woodland, CA 95695
The submitted artwork will be judged by a panel of local artists and art experts with the winner announced after the deadline.
The guidelines for the Congressional Art Competition include the following:
- Artwork must be two-dimensional.
- Each piece can be no larger than 26” x 26” x 4” (26 inches high, 26 inches wide, and 4 inches deep), including the frame.
- Framed artwork cannot weigh more than 15 pounds.
- Acceptable mediums for 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.
The winning piece must be available to be mailed to Washington D.C. in the original medium (that is, not a scanned reproduction of a painting or drawing).
Students and teachers interested in the Congressional Art Competition may contact any of Rep. Thompson's district offices for further guidance and instruction.