The 2011 “An Artistic Discovery” Congressional High School Art Contest Announced

Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (TX-26) is pleased to announce the opening of "An Artistic Discovery," the annual Congressional High School Art Competition.  Since the U.S. House of Representatives created the competition in 1982, hundreds of thousands of talented high school students have served as artistic ambassadors of their communities.

The contest is open to public, private and home-schooled high school students residing and/or attending schools located in the 26^th Congressional District. The Greater Denton Arts Council (GDAC) co-sponsors the annual juried event.  Student artists will have their works judged by a professional art educator chosen by the GDAC. 

All entry forms must be received from interested teachers no later than March 23^rd. Entry forms can be faxed to (972) 434-9705 or emailed to joan.self@mail.house.gov.  Artwork may be dropped off by teachers to Dr. Burgess’ Lewisville and Fort Worth offices as well as to the Center for the Visual Arts in Denton, 8 AM-5 PM, on Friday, March 25^th and Monday, March 28^th. All artwork must be accompanied by a signed student release form. 

Competition participants, their parents, teachers, and school administrators will be invited to attend a reception on Monday, April 18th, at 5:30 p.m. to view all the entries on display at the Center for the Visual Arts in Denton.  All the participants will be honored during the reception.

First prize in the competition is the display of the winning student's artwork for an entire year in the House corridor to the U.S. Capitol.  The exhibit is traveled daily by members of Congress, their staff, and thousands of visitors who are able to view the artwork from Congressional districts throughout the country—each artwork is highlighted with the name of the work and student artist.

The 26^th District winner and a guest will be invited to Washington, D.C. in the summer to attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony honoring the winning artists and opening the 2011 "An Artistic Discovery" exhibition.  In addition, the competition’s second and third place winners will have the opportunity to have their work displayed publicly in Dr. Burgess’ Lewisville and Fort Worth district offices for the upcoming year. 

If you have any questions regarding the Congressional High School Art Contest or a student’s eligibility to participate, please contact Joan Self in Dr. Burgess’ Lewisville district office at (972) 434-9700 or joan.self@mail.house.gov. 

To find this year’s guidelines, entry form and release form, click on the following links:

•  Congressional Art Contest Guidelines for Students
• Congressional Art Contest School Entry Form
• Congressional Art Contest Student Release Form