Schakowsky Honors 2018 Congressional Art Competition Participants

Today, Rep. Jan Schakowsky announced the top three winners in the Illinois 9^th Congressional District's 2018 "An Artistic Discovery" Congressional Art Competition. This annual competition, sponsored by the Congressional Institute, invites young artists from around the nation to compose and submit visual art to their member of Congress. The winning piece from each District is then hung in a place of prominence in the Capitol complex.

This year, Rep. Schakowsky's office received submissions from forty-two students representing fifteen local high schools. Each young artist who participated had their work put on display at Skokie Public Library and was honored at a reception and ceremony on April 14. After announcing the winners today, Rep. Schakowsky released the following statement:

"Congratulations to each of the students who participated in this year's Congressional Art Competition. Every year, I look forward to seeing the creativity and artistic talent of local students displayed during this competition – they never disappoint! This year was no different. Every submission we received demonstrated hard work and unique talent. Yet again, the participants in this year's competition are making the 9^th Congressional District proud. I would especially like to recognize this year's top three artists, Nicole Cwiok, Fatima Najera, and Esther Park, for their distinguished work."

The following students are hereby recognized as winners of the 2018 Congressional Art Competition for the 9^th Congressional District of Illinois:

1^st Place
Nicole Cwiok, Niles West High School
Artwork Title: "Juliet's Dream"
Medium: Watercolor & Ink

2^nd Place
Fatima A. Najera, Evanston Township High School
Artwork Title: "Heart Out"
Medium: Linecut

3^rd Place
Esther Park, Niles North High School
Artwork Title: "Serenity"
Medium: Watercolor & Pen