Congressman Scott Peters, whose 52nd District includes La Jolla, has launched the 2015 Congressional Art Competition for district high school students. 

Over the last two years, participation in the district’s annual competition has more than doubled, growing from 13 submissions in 2013 to 37 submissions in 2014. The competition, which began in 1982 and has seen more than 650,000 participants, is held annually across the country. 

“This competition is a great opportunity to not only celebrate and showcase the artistic talent and creativity of students in San Diego, Coronado and Poway but also encourage students to explore their creativity in a way that will foster a lifelong love of the arts,” La Jolla resident Peters said. “Arts and design allow students to develop creative problem-solving abilities, which employers list as one of the top five skills that will become increasingly important over the next five years.”

The competition is open to all high school students in the district. All entries must be an original in concept, design, and execution. The artwork may include paintings, drawings, collage, prints, mixed media, computer-generated art and photography. 

The deadline for artwork submission is 4 p.m. on Wednesday, April 22. Works must be delivered to Peters’ San Diego district office at 4350 Executive Drive, Suite 105, San Diego, CA, 92121. High schools in the 52nd District were notified of the competition via a letter from Peters last month.

Leaders from the local arts community will serve as the judging panel. The panel will select this year’s winner – who will be invited to a winners celebration in Washington, D.C., that coincides with the unveiling of the 2015 student artwork exhibition where his or her piece will be hung in the Capitol Building for one full year.

For more information on the annual Congressional District Art Competition, visit scottpeters.house.gov/art-competition.