The deadline is quickly approaching for students in the 2nd Congressional District of Georgia who want to participate in the 38th annual Congressional Art Competition.
 
High school students in the district, which runs from Columbus over to Macon and south to the Florida line, must submit their artwork by Wednesday, April 10, 2019. Artwork must be submitted to Congressman Bishop’s Office at 323 Pine Avenue, Suite 400 in Albany.
 
The 2019 winner will be announced at the Spring Exhibitions Reception set for 5-7 pm on Thursday, April 18 at the Albany Museum of Art. All submitted artwork will be on display April 16-19 in the Willson Auditorium at the AMA.
 
“This competition is a tremendous opportunity to showcase the considerable artistic talent of Georgia’s 2nd Congressional District’s high school students, and I am eager to see this year’s entries," Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr., D-Albany, said.
 
The winning 2nd District student’s work, along with the winning artwork from the other participating U.S. congressional districts, will be on display for a year in the Cannon Tunnel, a heavily traveled underground walkway that connects the House office buildings with the U.S. Capitol. Last year, 428 of the 441 Congressional offices participated in the contest, officials with the Congressional Institute, which sponsors the annual competition, said.
 
The winning artist and a parent will be provided roundtrip airfare to the nation’s capital at the end of June to join Congressman Bishop at the national reception for the district first-place winners.
 
The Albany Museum of Art, in addition to hosting the district reception and the exhibition in the Willson Auditorium, will make a $250 purchase offer for the winning artwork. The AMA also will provide two-night accommodations at a Washington area hotel for the winning student and parent.
 
AMA Executive Director Paula Williams said the young artists do “fantastic work” and said the contest is a good way for members of Congress to foster development of “a new generation of budding artists.” For many of the students, the trip to the nation’s capital is an “unforgettable, once-in-a-lifetime experience,” she said.