Grade 10 Student Wins First Place in Congressional Arts Competition


On May 4, 2016, Priya Melonio '18 received notice from Congressman Mike Kelly’s office that she won first place in her congressional district’s 2016 Congressional Arts Competition. Her art piece took top honors out of over 70 entries. 

Priya’s water color painting, "Autumn Serenity," will be displayed in the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., for one full year. In addition to receiving first place in her district, she won two roundtrip plane tickets to the District in order to attend the ribbon cutting ceremony. Later this month, she will attend the awards ceremony at Slippery Rock University, where she will be presented with her first place prize.

According to the United States House of Representatives’ website, “Each spring, the Congressional Institute sponsors a 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 submit entries to their representative’s office, and panels of district artists select the winning entries. Winners are recognized both in their district and at an annual awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. The winning works are displayed for one year at the U.S. Capitol.”

Priya learned about the competition from her visual art teacher Dr. Robert Edwards.

Congratulations Priya! 
 
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