Information provided by the Office of Congressman Jimmy Panetta
On April 18, 2020 Congressman Panetta announced the 2020 Congressional Art Competition for high school students throughout California’s 20th Congressional District. The U.S. House of Representatives sponsors this competition each spring to recognize and honor talented young artists from each congressional district across the country.
The winning entry will be displayed in the corridors of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. for one year. The second and third place winning entries will be displayed in Panetta’s Congressional offices.
“In moments of crisis, we often look to the arts to bring us inspiration and hope for the future. I know that the current public health crisis has changed the lives of many across the Central Coast, including students. That is why, although schools are closed right now, I am still encouraging students to share their creative talents with our community and participate in the 2020 Congressional Art Competition,” Panetta said.  “This year’s art competition will be held online, and the winners’ pieces will be displayed in the U.S. Capitol and in my Congressional offices. I look forward to seeing all of the submissions and recognizing our local artists.”
The Congressional Art Competition is open to all high school students in California’s 20th Congressional District. Each school can submit up to five pieces of original student artwork. Exceptions will be made for schools that have 7th through 12th grades on one campus. The winner will be determined using criteria based on originality, skill of execution, excellence in use of materials, and conceptual strength of the project.
All entries will need to be submitted online. Teachers and students who would like to participate in the competition should email their high-resolution photo to [email protected] and include the following:
- Students name
- Students address
- Students email
- Student phone number
- Parent name
- Parent phone number
- School name
- Grade
- Art teacher name
- Title of entry
- Medium
- Description of entry
- Teacher statement certifying the artwork’s originality
- If students email their entry, they must attach an email from teacher certifying artwork originality.
All submissions are due by Wednesday, May 13, 2020. For full competition guidelines, please visit https://panetta.house.gov/services/art-competition, or contact Bertha Munoz, congressional aide, at 831-424-2229.
