Calling All High School Artists in New York’s 13th Congressional District
NEW YORK, NY – Representative Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) has announced the start of the 2026 Congressional Art Competition and is inviting all high school students in New York’s 13th congressional district to participate. The deadline for this year’s entries is Wednesday, April 1st.
Each spring, Rep. Espaillat hosts the art competition to recognize and encourage artistic talent from across his district to participate in the national contest. Since the national competition began in 1982, more than 650,000 high school students from across the country have participated.
How to Participate:
1. Check to see if you live or attend school in New York’s 13th Congressional District
2. Visit online to read the 2026 Rules for Students and Teachers
3. Complete the Student Release Form
4. Participants must submit a digital copy of their artwork and student release form to Laurie Tobias-Cohen by email at laurie.tobias-cohen@mail.house.gov by Wednesday, April 1st, 2026.
The artwork may be:
• 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
All entries must be original in concept, design and execution and may not violate U.S. copyright laws.
The winner will be eligible to receive:
• Year-long exhibition of their artwork in the U.S. Capitol
• Complimentary airline tickets to Washington, D.C. to attend the reception and installation of the winning entries from congressional districts throughout the country
The first and second runners-up will have their artwork displayed in Rep. Espaillat’s Washington, D.C. office and Honorable Mentions will be displayed in the district offices for one year. For more information, contact Laurie Tobias-Cohen by email at laurie.tobias-cohen@mail.house.gov.
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Representative Espaillat is the first Dominican American to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives and his congressional district includes Harlem, East Harlem, West Harlem, Hamilton Heights, Washington Heights, Inwood, Marble Hill and the north-west Bronx. First elected to Congress in 2016, Representative Espaillat is serving his fifth term in Congress. Representative Espaillat currently serves as a member of the influential U.S. House Committee on Appropriations responsible for funding the federal government’s vital activities and serves as Ranking Member of the Legislative Branch Subcommittee of the committee during the 119th Congress. He is Chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC), and serves as a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus. To find out more about Rep. Espaillat, visit online at https://espaillat.house.gov/.
Media inquiries: Candace Person at Candace.Person@mail.house.gov