Art Competition
Each spring, a nation-wide high school arts competition is sponsored by the Members of the U.S. House of Representatives. The Congressional Art Competition is an opportunity to recognize and encourage the artistic talent in the nation, as well as in our Congressional District.
The Congressional Art Competition is open to all high school students in our District. The artwork for the winning student from each District will be displayed in the Cannon Tunnel for 11 months. Southwest Airlines will offer each first-place Congressional Art Competition winner two round-trip tickets to attend a Celebration for competition winners in Washington D.C. The winning artwork is also featured on House.gov's Congressional Art Competition page.
The following is a summary of the Congressional Art Competition rules:
The competition is open to high school students who live in Oregon’s Sixth Congressional District. Artwork must be the creation of a single student. Students may not collaborate on an entry. One entry per student.
Artwork must be two-dimensional. Each framed artwork can be no larger than 26 inches high, 26 inches wide, and 4 inches deep. It is not a requirement to frame your piece to submit to the competition, but please keep the measurements above in mind. Congresswoman Salinas’ office will send the winning piece to Washington, DC for display. The winner is responsible for framing their own artwork with guidance from our office.
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
Each entry must be original in concept, design, and execution and may not violate U.S. copyright laws. Any entry copied from an existing photo or image (including a painting, graphic, or advertisement) created by someone other than the student violates competition rules and will not be accepted. For more information on copyrights, we recommend you visit: https://www.artandwriting.org/awards/how-to-enter/copyright-plagiarism/
Artwork will hang in Washington, DC, from June 2026 to May 2027. Do not submit artwork that will be needed for other purposes during that period.
Please refer to the official rules and release form for the competition below:
2026 Rules and Regulations for Students and Teachers
2026 Student Release Form
For more information, please visit the Congressional Institute’s website at https://www.house.gov/educators-and-students/congressional-art-competition.
Deadline & Submission:
All entries for this competition must be received in one of Congresswoman Salinas’ District Offices no later than 5:30 pm on Monday, April 20th, 2026. Art may be mailed to either office, or call 503-385-0906 or email OR06ASArtComp@mail.house.gov to arrange an appointment to drop off or pick up your artwork.
A TYPED copy of the Student Information and Release Form, signed by the teacher, a parent or guardian, and the student, must be securely attached to the back of the artwork to certify the originality of the piece.
530 Center Street NE #415
Salem, OR 97301
18861 SW Martinazzi Avenue #200
Tualatin, OR 97062
Please call 503-385-0906 or email OR06ASArtComp@mail.house.gov with any questions.