Jacobs hosts congressional art competition, announces winners

By Howard B. Owens
Apr 25, 2021, 3:27pm

Press release:

Congressman Chris Jacobs (NY-27) honored student artists and announced the winners of the NY-27 Congressional Art Competition at a reception this morning in Batavia.

“Students from around the district submitted pieces of artwork for this competition; we clearly have some incredibly talented young adults in Western New York,” Jacobs said.

“I want to thank all of our teachers and parents who helped our participants create and submit their work, and most importantly, I want to congratulate all of our contestants for their hard work, dedication, and impressive pieces. I look forward to this becoming a tradition we celebrate every year.”

The Congressional Art Competition was first created under a different name in 1982 and is sponsored by the Congressional Institute. In NY-27, three winners were selected, their pieces will be displayed as follows:

The First Place piece will be hung in the U.S. Capitol for all representatives and staff, and the winner will also be flown down to Washington, D.C.

The Second Place piece will be hung in Rep. Jacobs’ Washington, D.C., Office.

The Third Place piece will be hung in Rep. Jacobs’ Clarence District Office.

Pieces are judged and given their awards by an independent panel of judges. The winners for the 2021 NY-27 Congressional Art Competition are:

First Place: "A New Chapter" by Isabella Houseknecht from Batavia (colored pencil).

Second Place: Self Portrait by Molly Regan from Holland (charcoal).

Third Place: "Creation of Bee-dam" by Madison Dugan from Albion (acrylic paint).

Honorable Mention: Self-Portrait by Amaya Cleveland from Medina (handpainted negative-digitalized and painted on photo paper).

“Congratulations to our winners. I look forward to hanging these pieces in each of my offices and having a constant reminder of the exceptional talent in our district,” Jacobs said.