Art Competition
Each spring, the U.S. House of Representatives sponsors a nationwide arts competition to recognize and encourage artistic talent in the United States and in New Mexico’s Second Congressional District. The 2025 Congressional Art Competition is open to all 9th-12th grade students either attending school in or residing in the second congressional district.
The 2025 theme is "Living Landscapes: New Mexico Plants and Wildlife." Winning students will be contacted with instructions about how to send their physical submission to the Capitol. Only one submission per student is allowed, and a completed student release form must be submitted at the time of application. Guidelines and entry forms can be found below.
Artwork entered in the contest may be up to 26 inches by 26 inches, may be up to 4 inches in depth, and not weigh more than 15 pounds. If your artwork is selected as the winning piece, it must arrive framed and must still measure no larger than the above maximum dimensions.
- 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
- Photography
The winning entry from the district will be displayed as part of a national exhibit in the U.S. Capitol.
All entries 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 or image (including a painting, graphic, or advertisement) that was created by someone other than the student is a violation of the competition rules and will not be accepted. Work entered must be in the original medium (that is, not a reproduction of a painting or drawing).
Please do not physically mail or deliver art to any office unless instructed to do so by our staff.
We are accepting submissions via email. Submissions should include the release as well as a PDF image of the art. You may email the submission to art.nm02@mail.house.gov
The deadline to submit art is April 11, 2025.
The rules, checklist, and release form for the competition are below.
Please contact my office at 575-323-6390 or email art.nm02@mail.house.gov with any questions.
You can view and download the 2025 rules and regulations for students and teachers at this link here.
You can view and download the 2025 student information and release form at this link here.
You can view and download guidelines on copyright and plagiarism at this link here.