Congresswoman Grace Meng recently announced this year’s winners of the annual Congressional District Art contest.
The competition consisted of entries from high school students in Queens, and is part of “An Artistic Discovery,” the national art contest held annually by the House of Representatives.
The contest displays the artwork of all Congressional District Art contest winners from across the nation.
Natalie Niselson, a freshman at Bayside High School, was selected as the winner of the Meng’s contest, for her original artwork, entitled “Brainwashed.”
Meng said that her winning piece, along with the winning artwork from Congressional Districts’ contests throughout the U.S., will be displayed for a year in the halls of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.
Meng announced Niselson as the winner during a reception she recently hosted for students and their families.
The reception was held at the Elmhurst branch of the Queens Public Library in its second floor reading room, where all the submitted artwork was on display during the event.
Other finalists in the contest were recognized at the reception, including second place winner Angela Lin, a 10th grader from Rego Park for her artwork, “Returning to Normalcy,” and third place winner Siya Gupta, an 11th grader from Rego Park for her artwork, “New York Under the Light.”
Their artwork will be displayed for one year in Meng’s Flushing office.
“Each year, I love seeing such beautiful, creative, and inspiring work that our young artists create, and this year was no exception. I look forward to Natalie’s winning piece representing our congressional district in Washington, D.C. and I am proud to highlight her exceptional talent,” Meng said. “I also thank Elmhurst Library for providing a wonderful space for the reception and exhibition. As we continue to move past the COVID-19 pandemic, I am glad that we can continue to hold this competition, and spotlight the tremendous creativity of our young people.”
All students who entered were presented with certificates of Congressional recognition.
The contests’ entries included different styles of paintings, collages, drawings, and prints. The finalists were decided by a panel at Flushing Town Hall.
The Artistic Discovery contest was launched in 1982 for members of Congress to highlight the artistic work of high school students from around the nation.
Since it began, more than 650,000 high school students from throughout the United States have participated in the competition.
