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Noah Padgett, a Sophomore at Watauga High School, recently won the 2012 5^th District Congressional Art Competition sponsored by the office of Congresswoman Virginia Foxx. Padgett won the competition with a piece created with pen and ink entitled, Homeland.  His art work will be displayed in the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., for the next year. This is the second year the Art Competition winner was chosen via Facebook voting.

“This competition is a once in a lifetime chance for young North Carolina artists to display their work in the United States Capitol,” Foxx said. “I am impressed by Noah’s artistic abilities and look forward to meeting him at the official award and art installation ceremony.”

In the spring of every year, the United States House of Representatives hosts a Congressional Art Competition for high-school artists. The contest promotes attention to the arts by recognizing talented young artists from across the nation. 

This year’s winning artwork by Padgett, who lives in Boone, NC, will be featured along with winning submissions from other congressional districts in the United States Capitol.

About the Congressional Art Contest: Each year Members of Congress from around the country hold contests within their districts to choose winning pieces of art by high school students. Since this competition was created in 1982, hundreds of thousands of high school students have participated at the local level. The winning student from the 5th District is invited to Washington, D.C., for the ribbon-cutting ceremony and has his or her artwork displayed in the U.S. Capitol for one year.