Constituent Services

Each spring, the Congressional Institute hosts a nationwide art competition for high school students. Since 1982, more than 650,000 students have participated, with one winning artwork from each congressional district displayed in the U.S. Capitol for one year. I am proud to recognize the talented students of New York’s 20th Congressional District through this program.

An independent panel of judges select the winner, runner-up, and honorable mentions. These will be announced at my annual art competition reception on Friday, May 1, 2026, from 5:30–7:00 PM at the Nott Memorial at Union College, 807 Union Street, Schenectady, NY. All submitted artwork will be displayed at this reception.

Each high school may submit up to three entries. Submissions must be received by 5:00 PM on Monday, April 27, 2026, at either my Albany Office (19 Dove Street, Suite 302, Albany, NY 12210) or Saratoga Springs District Office (433 Broadway, Suite 201, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866).

The winning artwork will be displayed in the U.S. Capitol, and the student will be invited to attend a national ceremony in Washington, D.C. on June 25, 2026, with two complimentary round-trip airfare tickets provided by Southwest Airlines. The runner-up’s artwork will be displayed in my District Office. All participants must reside in the 20th Congressional District.


MANDATORY STEPS TO SUBMIT ARTWORK TO CONGRESSMAN TONKO'S 2026 CONGRESSIONAL ART COMPETITION (DEADLINE - MONDAY, APRIL 27, 2026 AT 5:00 PM)

• STEP 1: Please ensure that you are a constituent of New York's 20th Congressional District. You can use the "Find Your Representative" tool on the House.gov homepage to confirm this.
• STEP 2: Once you have confirmed that you are a constituent, please fill out this Artwork Submission Form. In this form, you will provide information relating to the artwork and upload a picture of your artwork. (Deadline: April 27, 2026 at 5:00 PM)
• STEP 3: Finally, artwork must be submitted to either our Albany District Office, located at 19 Dove Street, Suite 302, Albany, NY 12210 or our Saratoga Springs District Office, located at 433 Broadway, Suite 201, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866, no later than 5:00 PM on Monday, April 27, 2026. (Deadline: April 27, 2026 at 5:00 PM)
  • A label with the title of the artwork, name of the student, name of their high school, and a contact phone number must be securely attached to the back of the artwork.
    

IMPORTANT GUIDELINES THAT YOUR ARTWORK MUST ADHERE TO:

• Artwork must be two-dimensional.
• Each piece must be no larger than 26"x26"x4" and weigh no more than 15 pounds, including the frame. The winning piece will have additional frame and mounting requirements for display in Washington, D.C. Larger framed works will be rejected by the House Office Building Commission.
• Accepted artwork mediums include paintings (oil, acrylics, watercolor), drawings (colored pencil, pencil, ink, marker, pastels, charcoal - fixed recommended), two-dimensional collages, prints (lithographs, silkscreen, block prints), mixed media (more than two mediums), computer-generated art, and photography.
• Each entry must be original in concept, design, and execution, and cannot violate U.S. copyright laws. Entries copied from existing photos, images, or artwork by others will not be accepted. For more on copyright laws, visit the Scholastic website HERE. 
• Work entered must be in the original medium (that is, not a scanned reproduction of a painting or drawing).
• Artwork will be displayed in the U.S. Capitol for the entire year of the exhibition and cannot be returned to the student earlier. Therefore, students should submit artwork they will not need for other purposes.