Congressman Emmer with Hannah Warner from Holy Spirit Academy in Monticello, Minnesota. Hannah won the art competition for her oil painting titled "Fading Autumn". 

Each spring, the U.S. House of Representatives sponsors a nationwide high school arts competition called the "Congressional Art Competition." This is an opportunity to recognize and encourage artistic talent around the nation, as well as in our Congressional District.

The Congressional Art Competition is open to all high school students in the Sixth District. The winning artwork of our district's competition will be displayed for one year in the U.S. Capitol and 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:

Artwork entered in the contest may be up to 26 inches by 26 inches, can be up to 4 inches in-depth, 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 meet the following criteria:

  • Be two dimensional
  • Be no larger than 26 inches wide by 26 inches tall by 4 inches thick
  • Not weigh more than 15 pounds, including frame
  • Be original in concept, design, and execution and may not violate any U.S. copyright laws.
  • Work entered must be in the original medium (that is, not a scanned reproduction of a painting or drawing).

Submissions for the 2024 competition are due to our District Office in Otsego by Friday, April 19th at 5:00 pm. 

2024 Rules for Students and Teachers can be found here

2024 Student Release Form can be found here

If you have any questions, please contact Barbara Harper by emailing Barbara.Harper@mail.house.gov.