Congressional Art Competition
Congratulations to the first-place winner of the 2025 2nd District Congressional Art Competition, Parkway West Junior Dhiya Prasanna!
Each spring, Members of the United States House of Representatives sponsor the Congressional Art Competition. This competition is an opportunity to recognize the artistic talent of students in Missouri’s 2nd District and throughout the nation. The Congressional Art Competition began in 1982 to provide an opportunity for Members of Congress to encourage and recognize the artistic talents of their young constituents.
33 talented high school artists from across the 2nd Congressional District entered the 2025 competition which was judged by three local professional artists. Thank you to the participants, their art teachers, and their families! All the impressive 2025 submissions from the 2nd District can be viewed here.
Dhiya’s impressive colored pencil drawing, A Look into COPD will be exhibited in the U.S. Capitol for the next year, and she will be offered two airline tickets to attend the Washington, D.C. reception for winners from across the country.
Marley Boss, a junior from Lindbergh High School received 2nd Place for her acrylic painting, Still-Life. Visitors to my Washington, D.C. office will soon be able to view this impressive painting.
3rd Place went to Webster Groves sophomore, Anna Bass for her oil painting titled I Am Your Mother. Anna’s detailed, colorful painting will hang in my Ballwin district office for the next year.
The judges awarded Best Photo to Leah Dunaway, a junior from Eureka, for Dewdrop Dreams.
The judges also awarded an honorable mention to Avalon Cunningham, a junior at Eureka, for her colored pencil drawing, Coastal Composition.
The 2nd Congressional District Art Competition is open to all high school students in the district. Contact MO02Wagner.ArtCompetition@mail.house.gov or 636-779-5449 for additional information.
Entries must be two-dimensional and can be no larger than 26 inches by 26 inches by 4 inches deep including the frame. Framed artwork cannot weigh more than 15 pounds. Framing is optional for the district competition; however, the winning piece must be framed according to the competition standards before it is shipped to the Capitol.
Artwork accepted mediums are:
•Paintings - including oil, acrylics, and watercolor
•Drawings - including pastels, colored pencil, pencil, charcoal, ink, and markers (It is recommended that charcoal and pastels be fixed.)
•Collage (must be two-dimensional)
•Prints - including lithographs, silkscreen, and block prints
•Mixed Media
•Computer Generated Art
•Photography
All entries must be original in concept, design, and execution. Exhibits depicting subjects of contemporary political controversy or a sensationalistic or gruesome nature are not allowed.