Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson invites high school students across the second congressional district to enter the 2018 High School Congressional Art Competition. This annual competition encourages Idaho's aspiring student artists to showcase their talents to the public, while recognizing their achievements alongside hundreds of other students and members of Congress from across the country.

School administrators and art instructors across the state received entry forms, and a list of rules and guidelines for the competition. Additional information can be found on Congressman Simpson’s website. The entry deadline for the competition is February 21, 2017. Artwork can be mailed or submitted at any of Congressman Simpson’s Idaho district offices in Boise, Twin Falls, or Idaho Falls.

Students that enter the competition will have a chance to win a round trip flight to Washington, D.C., to attend a special reception, and see their artwork displayed for one year in the U.S. Capitol Building. One grand-prize winner from Congressman Simpson’s district will be selected during a local reception in April, and will visit Washington D.C. in June. This year’s theme is titled, Hidden Gems of Our State, and encourages students to create a work of art expressing what they treasure in Idaho.

Students should feel comfortable submitting work despite relevance to a theme. However the theme can ignite ideas and establish a foundation for many. Idaho is ‘The Gem State’, and while that references our abundance of natural resources, we now recognize that the gems of Idaho are not limited to precious stones. As one of our nation’s best kept secrets, students ought to consider what makes Idaho precious to them.

All students that enter the competition will be invited to a local reception at the Art Museum of Eastern Idaho in Idaho Falls in March. All submitted artwork will be showcased from March 3rd through March 24th at the museum.

Since the Congressional Art Competition began in 1982, more than 650,000 high school students have participated in the competition.