Oceanside, CA – Today, U.S. Representative Mike Levin (D-CA) announced that San Dieguito Academy student Chloe Grace Roche and her piece called “Digitally Divided” is the winner of the 2021 Congressional Art Competition for California’s 49th Congressional District. Additionally, Rep. Levin announced that a piece titled “My Life, My Story” by Areli Santiago from Rancho Buena Vista High School won second place; a piece titled “Tranquility” by Braeden Pato from Vista High School won third place; and a piece titled “The Outstretching of Ecclesius to the Moon” by Dominic Cunningham from San Juan Hills High School received the most votes on Rep. Levin’s Facebook page to be the fan favorite.
Each year, high school students across the nation compete for an opportunity to display their artwork in the United States Capitol alongside winners from other Congressional Districts. This year, Rep. Levin’s District had a total of 86 submissions from students at Oceanside High School, Sage Creek High School, Carlsbad High School, Rancho Buena Vista High School, San Dieguito Academy, La Costa Canyon High School, Santa Fe Christian School, San Juan Hills High School, Vista High School, J Serra Catholic High School, and Pacific Ridge School. The top three winners will receive cash prizes.
Four other students were awarded Honorable Mentions, including Melanie Hui and Gabriella Say of San Juan Hills High School and Anthony Gonzalez and Julia Locken of Oceanside High School. All eight pieces of art honored in this year’s competition will be on display at the Oceanside Museum of Art from May 13 to June 13, 2021.
“The quality and quantity of artwork submitted for this year’s Congressional Art Competition shows how many outstanding young artists there are in our region, and I am proud to recognize their work,” said Rep. Levin. “While the competition looked different for a second year in a row due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the artwork continued to impress our panel of judges, led by Oceanside Museum of Art Executive Director Maria Mingalone. I’m incredibly grateful for all of the student artists, teachers, and judges who made the competition possible, and I look forward to showing off Chloe’s ‘Digitally Divided’ piece in the U.S. Capitol Building later this year.”
This year, the panel of judges included Maria Mingalone of the Oceanside Museum of Art; Luz Helena Thompson, Co-Founder of the Veterans Recovery Project; and Zach Cordner of The Osider Magazine.
The cash prizes for the top three winners were provided by Rick Stein of Arts Orange County through a grant it received from AT&T to support young artists.
To see a full gallery of artwork submissions, click here.
