(ROUND ROCK, TX) – Congressman John Carter (R-TX31) congratulates the winner of the 2015 Congressional Art Contest, Laura Vitolina from Summit Christian Academy in Cedar Park, on her drawing “Hope in Adoption.” Congressman Carter thanks all the participants for their involvement and hard work. The winners were announced Saturday, May 2, at the Texas State University Round Rock Campus.

Every spring, the U.S. House of Representatives hosts this nationwide event that allows high school students from every Congressional District in the United States to showcase their best artistic ability. Entries are judged by a panel of distinguished artists in each district. The winning artwork will be displayed for one year in the U.S. Capitol. In addition, the winner will be awarded two roundtrip airline tickets and accommodations for two nights in Washington D.C.

The Annual Congressional Art Competition, An Artistic Discovery, features some of the incredibly talented students from Texas District 31. This year, more than 100 students entered the competition with entries in all seven of the following categories: Collage, Computer-Generated Art, Drawing, Mixed Media, Painting, Photograph, and Print.

“The young men and women in District 31 demonstrated their incredible artistic abilities in this year’s Congressional Art Contest. I am looking forward to hosting Ms. Vitolina in Washington, D.C. and seeing her artwork displayed as I walk to and from the Capitol each day. I congratulate all of the artists and thank each of them for their hard work,” said Congressman John Carter.

(Congressman John Carter with the 2015 Best in Show winner, Laura Vitolina)

The 2015 Texas District 31 Congressional Art Competition Finalists are:

Best in Show

“Hope in Adoption” by Laura Vitolina from Summit Christian Academy (Georgetown)

Painting

1^st- “Hope in Adoption” by Laura Vitolina from Summit Christian Academy

2^nd- “Gaze” by Carol Qiao from Westwood High School

3^rd- “Capturing Moments” by Abigail Schnucker from Summit Christian Academy

Drawing

1^st- “Me on a Good Day” by Jacklyn Baez from Georgetown High School

2^nd- “Bicking Back Being Bool” by Ivan Rodriguez from Georgetown High School

3^rd- “Dark Blue” by Conan Gray from Georgetown High School

Mixed Media

1^st- “Out of the Border Butterfly” by Jacquelyn Petocz from Summit Christian Academy

2^nd- “Colors of Existence” by Jackson Travis from Georgetown High School

3^rd-“Unlock the Mind” by Isabella Polanco from Killeen High School

Photography

1^st- “Mother and Daughter” by Natalie Bryson from Vista Ridge High School

2^nd- “Galaxy Projection” by Radhika Patel from Vista Ridge High School

3^rd- “A Penny For Your Thoughts” by Hannah Troutman from Gateway College Preparatory School

Print

1^st- “Space Tree” by Andrew Welch from Vista Ridge

2^nd- “Love Thy Face” by Chriscina Lampkin from Killeen High School

Collages

1^st- “Over Thinking” by Skyler Hill from Gateway College Preparatory School

Computer-Generated Art

1^st- “From the Silver Lining” by Sara Tuttle from Killeen High School

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