WASHINGTON – Congressman Jim Himes (CT-4) is inviting Fourth District high school students to participate in the Congressional Art Competition, a nationwide art competition and exhibition conducted by members of the U.S. House of Representatives. The winner from this competition will have their piece displayed in the U.S. Capitol for a year alongside winning entries from across the country and will be invited to attend the opening ceremonies in Washington, DC in June. The runners-up will have their work displayed in Himes' Congressional offices in Stamford and Bridgeport.

“The annual Congressional Art Competition is a great way to highlight the importance of the arts and provide a unique showcase for our region’s young artists,” said Himes. “I invite all high school students who are passionate about the arts to participate in this year’s contest, and I look forward to welcoming the winner to Washington.”

Entries are submitted by high school students from schools in Connecticut’s Fourth Congressional District and will be judged by a distinguished panel of community artists with teaching and gallery experience. Congressman Himes will host an awards ceremony and reception in the district.

Students interested in entering this year’s competition must complete and sign a release form and fax it to the Congressman’s Bridgeport office at (203) 333-6655, attention Paul Coyle. Forms are required to be sent no later than April 22, 2014. Participants may find the release form at http://www.house.gov/content/educate/art_competition/pdf/student-information-release-form.pdf

Artwork, along with a copy of the student information and release form affixed to the back, should be delivered or shipped to Congressman Himes’s Bridgeport office by 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 22, 2014.

All high school students who reside or attend school in the Fourth Congressional District are encouraged to participate. Artwork submitted must be original and can be in the form of paintings (oil, acrylics, watercolor, etc.), drawings (pastels, colored pencil, pencil, charcoal, ink, markers), collage (must be 2 dimensional), prints (lithographs, silkscreen, block prints), mixed media, computer generated art, or photography. For more information, visit Congressman Himes’ website at: https://himes.house.gov/services/art-competition.