Washington — Each spring, the Congressional Institute and participating members of Congress sponsor An Artistic Discovery, a nationwide high school visual art competition that recognizes and encourages artistic talent in each Congressional District. Since the pilot competition in 1982, more than 650,000 high school students have participated.

The competition is open to high school students. Artwork must be the creation of a single student. Students may not collaborate on an entry. Each student must submit the Student Release Form with his or her entry.

The winner from each district will receive two round-trip plane tickets for Southwest Airlines to attend the Congressional Celebration on June 27, where all winners will be honored.

All entries for the Congressional Art Competition must be submitted via shipment of original artwork or via emailed digital copy of artwork to U.S. Rep. Jack Bergman’s Gwinn or Traverse City offices by 5 p.m. Eastern time April 19.

Artwork must be two-dimensional. Each framed artwork can be no larger than 26 inches high, 26 inches wide, and 4 inches deep. If your artwork is selected as the winning piece, it must arrive framed in Washington, D.C. Even when framed, it must still measure no larger than the above maximum dimensions. No framed piece should weigh more than 15 pounds.

Each entry must be original in concept, design and execution and may not violate 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.

For more information or to receive a student release form, contact Lauren Pauly at Lauren.Pauly@mail.house.gov. The release forms can also be found at Art Competition/house.gov.