Lake Dallas, T.X. — U.S. Congressman Michael Burgess (TX-26) announced the winner of the sixteenth annual 26th Congressional District art competition. The art competition was open to public, private, and home-schooled high school students residing in or attending schools in the district.

Ms. Lauren Foster, a junior art student of Michelle Harper at Flower Mound High School, won the Grand Prize in the 2018 competition with her color photograph entitled “American Spirit.”

“This contest is designed to highlight the artistic achievements of our local high school students and to share the results of those talents with our area and the rest of the country,” said Dr. Burgess. “Lauren’s work makes the 26th District proud. She is a very talented young woman with a tremendous gift.”

Congressman Burgess honored the finalists at a May 1 reception at the Patterson-Appleton Art Center in Denton hosted by the art competition’s host, The Greater Denton Arts Council. The juried competition was judged by professional artist, Millie Giles.

For the seventh year, entries were submitted digitally by art teachers on behalf of their students. This provided an opportunity for a “Texas Choice” winner to be selected by popular vote in a virtual gallery on Congressman Burgess’ website. Ms. Cecily Anderson was the winner of this category for her artwork entitled “Scooter.” She is a junior at Keller ISD’s Timber Creek High School in Fort Worth and her art instructor is Camille Kerr.

In addition, the jurist reviewed the posted artwork and determined the contest finalists based upon artistic merit. She selected a “Best of School” Award for one student from each school based on her appraisal of their work. The Juror's Award was based on her appraisal of artwork that had a high level of artistic merit and execution ranking under that of the Best of School Award. These students also were finalists in the competition.

These 57 finalists delivered their artwork to be physically and visually judged for Grand Prize and First Place. The finalists were publicly recognized at the reception by Congressman Burgess with a Certificate of Congressional Recognition.

As the Grand Prize winner, Lauren will have her artwork displayed for an entire year in the U.S. Capitol and has the opportunity to attend the national ceremony in Washington, DC in June. The ceremony will honor the winning artists from congressional districts all over the country.

In addition, Ms. Maddie Thorn, a junior at Marcus High School in Flower Mound and a student of Melissa Bellevue, won First Place for her colored pencil drawing entitled “Eagle.” Maddie will have her artwork displayed in Congressman Burgess’ Lake Dallas district office for the next year.

“Congratulations to Lauren, Maddie, and Cecily for their creative achievements,” said Dr. Burgess. “I was pleased to bring this worthwhile art program to the high school students of the 26th District and look forward to next year’s competition.”

During a full week of legislative business, Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-TX) worked to find solutions for some of the most pressing issues for North Texans and the American people. 

Examining Lessons from Hurricane Harvey

On Monday, Dr. Burgess traveled to Cypress, TX for a House Committee on Homeland Security field hearing on the lessons learned from Hurricane Harvey. During the hearing, federal and local leaders testified and answered questions on their abilities to respond to victims of Hurricane Harvey and rebuild the affected areas, particularly in southeast Texas.

Getting Answers from Mark Zuckerberg

On Wednesday, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified before the House Energy and Commerce Committee on Facebook’s transparency and use of consumer data. During the hearing, Dr. Burgess was the first lawmaker to ask Mr. Zuckerberg what specifically would set apart good “terms and conditions” from current standards. For more, watch their full exchange.

Making Progress on Combating the Opioid Crisis

As our nation continues to grapple with the heartbreaking opioid crisis, Dr. Burgess is leading the Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee to seek solutions for all aspects of opioid abuse, from education and prevention to enforcement and care. Over two days this week, Dr. Burgess chaired a subcommittee hearing examining the ability of Medicare and Medicaid to provide care for patients in the midst of the opioid crisis. Wednesday and Thursday’s hearing, the third in an ongoing series on this important issue, focused on 34 bills - a new record for the Energy and Commerce Committee.

###