Lawrenceville, GA - Congressman John Linder (GA-07) is inviting all Seventh District high school students to participate in the 27^th Annual Congressional Art Competition, “An Artistic Discovery.” The first place winner will be invited to attend the opening of the national exhibition on Wednesday, June 24, 2009, at the U.S. Capitol, where his or her art work will be displayed in the hall leading to the Cannon House Office Building for one year.    All of the artwork will be on display and open to the public at the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center in Lawrenceville, Georgia, beginning April 9 through April 20, 2009.  At 7:00 PM on April 20, Congressman Linder will hold an awards ceremony at the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center to honor all art competition participants. Among other awards, the first-place winner will receive an annual $1,500 scholarship to the Savannah College of Art and Design.

“It is critical that our community foster and encourage the development of all the talents our students possess,” said Linder. “For any citizen, the opportunity to have their work showcased in a gallery such as this - in the heart of our nation’s Capitol - is one that will not come often.  Every year, it is a privilege to honor creative expression among our students through this event.”

The guidelines for the event are as follows:  
· Entries must be submitted to Rep. Linder’s Lawrenceville office by April 3, 2009.
· Entrants must be high school students of public, private or home schools located in Georgia’s Seventh District.
· Artwork must be no larger than 32 x 32 inches (including the frame) and no more than four inches in depth.
· Entries must fall within the following categories: paintings (oils, acrylics, watercolor); drawings (pastels, colored pencil, pencil, charcoal, ink, markers, etc.); prints (lithographs, silkscreen, block prints); collage (must be two-dimensional); computer graphics; or photography.
· Each entry must be an original concept and cannot violate U.S. copyright laws.

For more information and a copy of the entry form, please contact Annie Valenty in Congressman Linder’s Gwinnett Office at (770) 232-3005 ext: 11.