Congressional Art Competition 2026
The Congressional Art Competition is the U.S. House of Representatives' official art competition for high school students, sponsored by the Congressional Institute. The competition is open to all high school students who reside in the Seventh Congressional District. The winning artwork will be featured on the Congressional Institute's website and displayed for one year in the U.S. Capitol. The winner will also be invited to DC in June for an Art Competition Celebration to recognize their artistic achievement.
2026 Contest Theme:
In conjunction with the nationwide celebration of America’s 250th Anniversary, the Congressional Institute has established a theme for the 2026 competition - "Celebrating America’s 250 Years." In keeping with the theme, Rep. Kean invites students to create artwork that commemorates America 250 in a positive and inspiring way and highlights America’s rich history, beauty, and culture.
Submission Guidelines:
Students may submit two-dimensional:
- 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 (Do not enter AI-generated art.)
- Photography
One submission per student will be accepted. All entries must be original in concept, design, and execution and may not violate any U.S. copyright laws.
Official Rules and Regulations should be reviewed thoroughly and the Student Release Form should be completed and returned with art entry.
Students should submit a digital image of their artwork to Congressman Kean’s office by 5:00 PM on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. Please capture a high-quality image of the work in its entirety. Save as a PDF and email the PDF and a typed, signed Student Release Form to renee.trabert@mail.house.gov.
Submission deadline: Wednesday, April 1, 2026 by 5:00 PM
Click here to view all NJ-07 artwork submissions from the 2025 Congressional Art Competition.
