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High school artists in the 2nd District have a chance to have their artwork hung in the U.S. Capitol.

Whether it’s paintings, photography, or computer-generated art, U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga, MI-02, is calling for entries from across the 2nd District for the 2011 Congressional Art Competition. The deadline for submission is April 25, 2011. Winning entries from each congressional district are displayed in the U.S. Capitol for a year, and winning artists have the opportunity to visit Washington, D.C. for a reception honoring winners from districts across the country.

“Art is a valuable study and creative outlet I am happy to encourage. I hope students from every school in the district will submit an entry for this great project,” Huizenga said.

Students must fill out a release form and adhere to the Competition’s official guidelines, which are located here and below. The public will be asked to ‘weigh in’ by online voting via Huizenga’s Congressional Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/rephuizenga. A jury of Arts Professionals will select the winning piece.

The Art Competition was started by Members of Congress in 1982. More than 650,000 art students have been involved with the competition.

Students or high school art teachers from the 2nd District who need more information should contact Ted Busch in Huizenga's Holland District Office, at (616) 395-0030.


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• The competition is open to high school students only. Exceptions may be made for schools that have 7th through 12th grades on one campus.
• Artwork must be two-dimensional.
• Each piece can be no larger than 28” x 28” x 4” (28 inches high, 28 inches wide, and 4 inches deep), including the frame. If your artwork is selected as the winning piece, it will be required to be framed and must adhere to the size guidelines.
• Artwork cannot weigh more than 15 lbs.
• Accepted media for artwork are as follows:

• Paintings: oil, acrylics, watercolor, etc.
• Drawings: pastels, colored pencil, pencil, charcoal, ink, markers
• Collage
• Prints: lithographs, silkscreen, block prints
• Mixed Media: use of more than two medias such as pencil, ink, watercolor, etc.
• Computer-Generated Art
• Photography

• Each entry 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 (other than the student’s own), painting, graphic, advertisement, or any other work produced by another person is a violation of the competition rules and will not be accepted. Work entered must be in the original medium (that is, not a scanned reproduction of a painting or drawing).
• Artwork will hang in the Capitol for the entire year of the exhibition and cannot be returned to the students earlier. Students should, therefore, submit artwork they will not need for other purposes.
• Artwork must adhere to the policy of the House Office Building Commission. In accordance with this policy, exhibits depicting subjects of contemporary political controversy or a sensationalistic or gruesome nature are not allowed. It is necessary that all artwork be reviewed by the panel chaired by the Architect of the Capitol and any portion not in consonance with the Commission’s policy will be omitted from the exhibit. The panel will make the final decision regarding the suitability of all artwork for the Congressional Art Competition exhibition in the Capitol.