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 our District. The winning artwork of our district's competition will be displayed for one year in the U.S. Capitol. The exhibit in Washington will include the winning artwork from all participating districts from around the country. The winning artwork is also featured on House.gov's Congressional Art Competition page.
The following is a summary of the Congressional Art Competition rules:
The competition is open to high school students in grades 9-12. Teachers and/or students should verify their eligibility with the office of Congressman Thanedar. Artwork must be the creation of a single student. Students may not collaborate on an entry.
Artwork entered in the contest may be up to 26 inches by 26 inches, may be up to 4 inches in depth, including the frame, and not weigh more than 15 pounds. If your artwork is selected as the winning piece, it must arrive framed and must still measure no larger than the above maximum dimensions.
- Paintings - including oil, acrylics, and watercolor
- Drawings - including pastels, colored pencil, pencil, charcoal, ink, and markers (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, watercolor, etc.
- Computer-generated art
- Photography
All entries must be original in concept, design and execution and may not violate any 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. Work entered must be in the original medium (that is, not a scanned reproduction of a painting or drawing). While the 2025 Congressional Art Competition Rules have not yet been distributed by the Congressional Institute, the rules have remained similar to previous years. For more information on these requirements, please click here.
A TYPED copy of the student Information and Release Form, signed by the teacher, a parent or guardian, and the student, must be securely attached to the back of the artwork to certify the originality of the piece. Please retain a copy for your records. Click here to fill out the release form.
Entries must be either shipped or dropped off in-person to Congressman Thanedar's district office at 400 Monroe Street, Suite 420, Detroit, MI 48226 by April 18th at 5:00pm EST. If you are not able to drop entries off, or would like to coordinate a larger pickup for your school, please reach out to our district office at 313-880-2400.
If you would like more information on the annual Congressional District Art Competition, including this year's deadlines, please submit the following form.