Congresswoman Chellie Pingree and Congressman Bruce Poliquin proudly announce this year's Congressional Art Competition Winners. Djordje Jevtic, an exchange student from Belgrade, Serbia, who is attending Scarborough High School, has won the 2015 Congressional Art Competition for Maine’s First District. His submission was a distinctive self-portrait in acrylic. Liam Reading, a senior at Bangor High School, is this year’s winner for Maine’s Second District for his piece, “The Widow.”

“I’m always amazed by the quality of work that Maine students submit to this competition. I’m excited that Djordje’s work will represent our state at the Capitol—it shows a lot of talent. Winning the competition should be a great memory of Maine for him to bring back home,” said Pingree. “My thanks and congratulations go to all the students who participated this year, the art teachers who inspire them, and the Maine Arts Commission for coordinating this wonderful event. ”

“I continue to be amazed by the extraordinary talent and work of our Maine high school students,” stated Poliquin. “Congratulations to Liam, and everyone who entered the competition, for sharing their artistic gifts. I look forward to passing by Liam’s artwork as I make my way to the Capitol for votes.”

The judges also recognized the work of five other First District students—first runner-up Anna Kinee of Brunswick High School, second runner-up Olivia Potter of Morse High School, and honorable mentions Kailey Coleman of Noble High School, Haleigh McKechnie of Thornton Academy, and Lily Munroe of Brunswick High School.

This year’s runners-up and honorable mentions for Maine's Second District include first runner-up Youjin Choi of Foxcroft Academy, second runner-up Maxwell Clarrage of Lewiston High School, and honorable mentions Jingfei Zhou of Gould Academy, Meghan McDunnah of Mount Desert Island High School and Riley Hemmings of Hebron Academy.

Held each year, the Congressional Art Competition features one piece of student artwork from every participating Congressional District in the country. Maine’s winners, chosen by jurors selected by the Maine Arts Commission, will have their work displayed in the halls of the U.S. Capitol for one year. First-place winners will travel to Washington, courtesy of private sponsors, to participate in an opening ceremony in June.  Winners, runners-up and honorable mentions will be honored at a Blaine House reception in May and are also offered scholarships from the Maine College of Art.

The artwork of the winners, runners up and honorable mentions can be seen here.

The Congressional Art Competition began in 1982 to provide an opportunity for Members of Congress to encourage and recognize the artistic talents of their young constituents. Since then, over 700,000 high school students have competed for the honor of having their work shown in the U.S. Capitol.

The Maine Arts Commission extends congratulations to these talented artists and thanks the high school teachers throughout the state who help foster a love of art in their students.