Congressional Art Competition
I am proud to have the opportunity to select a new student to represent California's 52nd Congressional District for 2025! This year's theme is “What’s Your Utopia?": If the future of America were in your hands, through two-dimensional art, depict the America you'd create. The culmination of the competition will be the year-long display of the winning artwork at the U.S. Capitol.
Artwork is due by 5:00 pm on Wednesday, April 30th, 2025, and must be delivered in person to the District Office at 333 F St., Suite A, Chula Vista, CA, 91910.
Each spring, the Congressional Institute sponsors a nationwide high school visual art competition to recognize and encourage artistic talent across the country and in each Congressional district. Since the Artistic Discovery competition began in 1982, more than 650,000 students have participated.
The competition is open to high school students. Teachers and/or students should verify their eligibility with the office of the Member of Congress. Artwork must be original and not done in collaboration with another student.
Artwork must be two-dimensional. Each framed artwork can be no larger than 26 inches high, 26 inches wide, and 4 inches deep. The Office of Congressman Vargas will arrange for the California’s 52nd District Art Competition winner's artwork to be framed.
Accepted mediums for the two-dimensional artwork are as follows:
- Paintings: Oil, acrylics, watercolor, etc.
- Drawings: colored pencil, pencil, ink, marker, pastels, charcoal (it is recommended that charcoal and pastel drawings be fixed).
- Collages: must be two-dimensional.
- Prints: lithographs, silkscreen, block prints.
- Mixed Media: use of more than two mediums such as pencil, ink, watercolor, etc.
- Computer-generated art.
- Photographs.
For more information about the Congressional Art Competition, please click here.