Brooke Justus, a junior at William Byrd High School and the Center for Visual Arts at BCAT,
has won the Congressional Art Competition from Congressional District 6. Her artwork, “A Roanoke Forest” has been selected to be displayed in the U. S. Capitol for one year as part of the 44th annual event.
Natalie Strum is her teacher at BCAT and helped her to apply for the honor. Submitted artwork
must be the original work of the student and two-dimensional, either a painting, drawing,
collage, print, mixed media, computer-generated, or photographs.
Justus was invited to a celebration for the winners at the U. S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.
on June 11, hosted by the Congressional Institute. That afternoon winners visited the office of
their member of Congress, attend a celebration luncheon, and participated in the awards
ceremony.
Her invitation states, “Congratulations again on your outstanding achievement. Your family,
teachers, and friends must be so proud that you were named the winner of your district’s
Congressional Art Competition. Your fine talent and creative vision have earned you a place
among the nation’s most capable young artists.”
Her artwork is on display in the Cannon Tunnel of the Capitol.
Maggie Clemmons, communications director for Congressman Ben Cline’s office, explained the
process.
“Each spring, a nationwide high school arts competition is sponsored by the members of the U.S.
House of Representatives. The Congressional Art Competition is an opportunity to recognize and
encourage the artistic talent in the nation, as well as in our Congressional District.
“The Congressional Art Competition is open to all high school students in our district. The
winning artwork of our district’ s competition is displayed for one year in the U.S. Capitol. The
exhibit in Washington will include the winning artwork from all participating districts from
around the country.
“The winning artwork is also featured on the House’s Congressional Art Competition page.”
Students submit entries to their representative’s office, and panels of district artists select the
winning entries. Winners are recognized both in their district and at the annual ceremony in
Washington, D.C. Since the Artistic Discovery competition began in 1982, more than 650,000
high school students have participated.
