Congressional art competition open to western Montana high school students

Western Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke invites high school students in Montana’s 1st Congressional District to participate in the 2023 Congressional Art Competition.

The longtime tradition started in 1982 and has since allowed Montana’s young artists the chance to showcase their talents in our nation’s Capitol building.

Complete guidelines for entry can be found on house.gov. The deadline to submit artwork to Zinke’s office is Tuesday, April 11.

“Western Montana is home to a robust art community and cultivating that talent begins with recognizing it early on” Zinke said. “Our students create amazing works of art and I look forward to giving Montana’s young artists an opportunity to display their work on a national stage.”

Submissions should reflect Montana’s history and culture and will be judged by a board of advisors made of established local artists. The board will select one piece to be entered in the nationwide contest and be displayed in the halls of Congress for the year.

Two other pieces will be recognized and will be displayed in Rep. Zinke’s offices in Washington, D.C., and Missoula.

The following is a summary of the Congressional Art Competition rules:

• 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. All art sent to the Congressman’s office must be framed and still within the required specifications.

Accepted mediums include:

• 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

Submissions should be sent to:

The Office of Congressman Ryan Zinke

2901 W. Broadway Street, Suite 200

Missoula, MT 59808

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 scanned reproduction of a painting or drawing).

Students from the following counties are eligible to submit to Congressman Zinke’s office: Lincoln, Flathead, Glacier, Lake, Missoula, Sanders, Mineral, Ravalli, Beaverhead, Madison, Granite, Powell, Gallatin, Silver Bow, Deer Lodge and parts of Pondera County.

Students from other counties are encouraged to contact Rep. Rosendale’s office.

The deadline to submit artwork to Zinke’s office is Tuesday, April 11. Winners will be announced later in the week. Students and educators interested can view the program’s mandatory guidelines and student release forms on Congressman Zinke’s website and contact Julie.perchy@mail.house.gov with any unanswered questions.