The 2026 Congressional Art Competition is now open to high school students who reside in Pennsylvania’s 16th Congressional District, represented by Mike Kelly. The district includes all of Erie and Crawford counties.
The annual competition allows one winning entry from each congressional district nationwide to be displayed for 11 months in the Cannon House Office Building tunnel at the U.S. Capitol complex in Washington, D.C. The program is sponsored by the Congressional Institute and is designed to encourage and recognize artistic achievement among high school students.
The contest is open to students in grades 9 through 12. Participants must enter the competition in the district where they reside. Artwork must be the original creation of a single student and may not be a collaborative effort.
Entries must be two-dimensional and, when framed, measure no more than 26 inches high, 26 inches wide, and 4 inches deep. Framed artwork must weigh no more than 15 pounds if selected as the district’s winning piece and sent to Washington.
Accepted mediums include paintings such as oil, acrylic, and watercolor; drawings including colored pencil, ink, marker, pastels, and charcoal (charcoal and pastel must be fixed); two-dimensional collages; prints such as lithographs and silkscreens; mixed media works; computer-generated art; and photographs.
All submissions must be original in concept, design, and execution and must comply with U.S. copyright laws. Entries copied from existing images created by others will not be accepted. Artwork deemed inappropriate for display in the Capitol will not be considered.
The deadline to submit artwork is April 10, 2026. Students and parents may drop off entries at Representative Kelly’s district offices in Erie, Hermitage, and Butler, or at Hope Center for Arts and Technology in Sharon.
For more information, students and educators may contact the district office at 724-282-2557.
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