Press Releases

U.S. Representative Matt Cartwright (PA-08) announced the winners of his 2024 Congressional Art Competition during a reception held at the Everhart Museum in Scranton Friday night. The Congressman welcomed more than 100 students, their families and teachers to the gallery opening where a record 120 pieces of art from 15 regional high schools are now on display to the public through May 5th.  

The winners of Pennsylvania’s 8^th Congressional District 2024 Art Competition include:

Youngeun Choi, a senior at Delaware Valley High School, who took home first place honors for her entry entitled April 15th, a painting that depicts a family portrait on the day that the artist’s family arrived in America. She will be recognized at the annual awards ceremony in Washington, D.C., and her winning artwork will be displayed for one year at the U.S. Capitol. 

In the description of her work, Choi wrote:

“On April 15, 2019, my family arrived in America. Since then, each year on April 15^th, we take a family photo to commemorate the day of our new start in America. The painting depicts the very first family photo we took five years ago. Being an immigrant heavily impacted my growing up era because I started my high school year with an environment and culture that I never experienced. As the eldest child, I was expected to be a good example for my younger siblings while adapting to this unfamiliar culture. In this piece, I conveyed the sense of expectations by the stare of family members looking at me in the center. Despite the pressure of being a good example, we were still excited for our fresh start in America.”

Scarlett Weir, a senior at Delaware Valley High School, was awarded Second Place for her self-portrait, a graphite illustration entitled Self Reflection.

Evie Yanaitis, a sophomore at Wilkes-Barre Area School District, was awarded Third Place for her piece, Prior to Flying, a graphic illustration of a young woman in the cockpit of a plane about to take flight.

Maya Zhivkovich, a sophomore at Delaware Valley High School, was awarded Honorable Mention for a multi-media, self-portrait entitled “Transitioning.”

“Every year, I look forward to seeing the outstanding artwork created by our district’s young artists, and every year I am blown away by their talent. We are sending a great piece of artwork to Washington, and I look forward to showing off Youngeun Choi’s work to my colleagues in Congress,” said Rep. Cartwright. “I couldn’t be prouder of every student who had the courage to submit their art for critique. This competition reflects how the arts continue to thrive in our schools, and I appreciate the dedication of our art educators who encourage creativity and exploration every day.”

Each spring, the Congressional Institute sponsors the nationwide high school visual art competition to recognize and encourage artistic talent in the nation and in each Congressional district. Since the Artistic Discovery competition began in 1982, more than 650,000 high school students have participated. 

Students submitted entries to Rep. Cartwright’s office, and a panel of judges selected the winners. The judges included Mary Kroptavich, executive director of the Art E Fekts Gallery in Pittston; Juan Espino, owner of the Looking Glass Gallery in Hawley; Clavertis Miller, owner of the Clavertis Miller Fine Arts Gallery in East Stroudsburg; Alan Stout, executive director of the Luzerne County Convention & Visitors Bureau and committee member of the Luzerne County Arts & Entertainment Hall of Fame; and Meghan Gallo, program manager for Lackawanna County’s Arts and Culture Program.