Guinta announces annual high school Capitol art contest

Meralee Allen, a former student at Goffstown High School, won last year's First District contest. Her work "Tea Time," seen above, hangs in the U.S. Capitol. (Courtesy image)

MANCHESTER, N.H. - Congressman Frank Guinta has announced the kickoff to his annual Congressional Art Competition, a nationwide high school art contest that the U.S. House of Representatives sponsors each spring. Since 1982, when the program first began, over 650,000 high school students across the country have participated.

Every year, I'm amazed at the level of talent Granite State students display, as well as their range of subject material and tools. I enjoy looking at the world through their eyes," said the Congressman. "I can't wait to see this year's entries and to meet the artists in person. They help make our world a more beautiful place to live."

The Congressional Art Competition is open to all First District high school students. The submission deadline is April 22 (more details follow). The winning artist's work will hang in the U.S. Capitol for one year.

Southwest Airlines will fly winning artists to Washington, D.C., for a national reception in June. Meralee Allen, a former student at Goffstown High School, won last year's First District contest. Her work "Tea Time" hangs in the U.S. Capitol.

ART COMPETITION RULES:

Artwork may be up to 28 inches by 28 inches, up to 4 inches in depth, and must not weigh more than 15 pounds. If a student's artwork is selected as the winning piece, it must arrive framed and measure no larger than the above 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 submitted must be in the original medium (that is, not a scanned reproduction).

All submissions must be dropped off at Rep. Guinta's district office in Manchester before Friday, April 22 at 5 p.m. by the student's teacher. A full listing of rules and regulations is available at house.gov. For more information about the Congressional Art Competition, please visit Rep. Guinta's website or call his Manchester office at 603-641-9536.