2019 Congressional Art Show a Hit Once Again
Each year I invite high school students from all around the Fourth District of New Jersey to compete in the annual Fourth District
Congressional Art Competition (CAC), part of a nation-wide art venue sponsored by the Congressional Institute. Encouraged by
art teachers and families, these ninth through twelfth graders must submit their original art in the hopes of being chosen for an honor
that includes having their work displayed in the United States Capitol Complex along side other winning entries from across the
nation for approximately one year. Thanks to our talented students and their teachers, the 2019 show was a great success.
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| Lakefront Gallery Poster for 2019 Congressional Art Competition. |
I encourage all aspiring high school-aged artists in my district, attending public school, private school or being home-schooled,
to submit their entries for the competition. The venue location of the 2019 competition was again at Robert Wood Johnson
University Hospital-Hamilton (RWJ-Hamilton) from April 1-May 3 2019. Judging took place April 5. A reception to distribute
Congressional Certificates to all participants and announce winners was held May 3.
All works were judged by professional artists. Returning to judge the 2019 show were Debbie Jencsik of Ocean County, N.J.;
Jim Inzero, also of Ocean County, N.J., and; Rich Thompson formerly of Mercer County, N.J. Click here for a summary about
the 2019 judges. Once again this year, in coordination with the RWJ-Hamilton, I invited the judges to exhibit their own talented
artwork.
I congratulate this year's winners:
Best in Show- “Family Tree,” by Anna Effenberger, of Colts Neck, a 12th-grader at Ranney School. (charcoal on paper)
First Place Runner-up- “Biggest Catch,” by Meghan Cole, a 12th-grader at Wall High School. (oil on Masonite)
Second Place Runner-up- “Tea Time,” by Sarah Hendrickson, a 12th-grader at Wall High School. (white charcoal)
Third Place Runner-up- “The Watcher,” by Grace Puharic, an 11th-grader at Wall High School. (watercolor)
Honorable Mention- “Migration of the Nestingbacks,” by Catherine Epps, a 12th-grader at Steinert High School in Hamilton. (chalk)
Honorable Mention- “Bright Night,” by Stefani Stauffacher, a 9th-grader at Robbinsville High School. (Tempera paint)
Honorable Mention- “Furry Friend,” by Alexandria Lee, a 12th-grader at Wall High School, (scratch board)
Honorable Mention- “Tableau Self Portraits” by Alyssa Hagen, an 11th-grader at Allentown High School. (digital photography)
The Best in Show winner goes to Washington, DC for one year to be displayed in the Capital Building Complex.
I would like to thank all of the outstanding and creative students and art teachers who participated the 2019 show and in past
contests. And I would also like to thank Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton in Mercer County (RWJ-Hamilton)
for its hospitality in again hosting the show in 2019 (and thank Georgian Court University for hosting in past years). In particular
I am appreciative of the strong support and assistance of RWJ-Hamilton President Richard Freeman and the RWJ- staff, and
Lakefront Gallery Curator Sheila Geisler and her staff.
Click here to read an announcement of the 2019 winners and slide show from the 2019 show reception.
Click here to read the opening of the 2019 show
Details for next year's show will be posted on this web page in late February 2020.
The 2019 Reception at RWJ-Hamilton Water Front Gallery:
Above: From the left are RWJ-Hamilton Lakefront Gallery Curator Sheila Geisler; Second Place Runner-up Sarah Hendrickson, a 12th-grader at Wall High School; Best-in-Show winner Anna Effenberger, of Colts Neck, a 12th-grader at Ranney School; 1st Place runner-up Meghan Cole, a 12th-grader at Wall High School; Honorable Mention Alexandria Lee, a 12th-grader at Wall High School; RWJ-Hamilton Vice President Diane Grillo; Honorable Mention winner Catherine Epps, a 12th-grader at Steinert High School in Hamilton; Honorable Mention winner Alyssa Hagen, an 11th-grader at Allentown High School; Third Place Runner-up, Grace Puharic, an 11th-grader at Wall High School; Honorable Mention winner, Stefani Stauffacher, a 9th-grader at Robbinsville High School, and; US Rep. Chris Smith.
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Cong. Smith congratulates the participants of his 2019 Congressional Art Show, part
of a national competition. Each year Mr. Smith welcomes the Best-in-Show winner at
a ceremony in Washington, DC. |
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| Visitors to RWJ University Hospital-Hamilton enjoy the art work of students each year. |
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(L-R) Lakefront Gallery Curator Sheila Geisler, 2019 Best in Show winner Anna
Effenberger of the Ranney School , Rep Smith and RWJ University Hospital-Hamilton
VP Diane Grillo. |
Winning Artwork for 2019
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"Family Tree" by Anna Effenberger of Colts Neck NJ, a student from the Ranney School, won Best-in-Show.
Done in charcoal on paper, the judges were awed by the skill in the detail of a larger work.
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"Biggest Catch" by Meghan Cole of Wall High School was 2019 1st place runner up.
Done in oil on Masonite, the judges appreciated the sunlit colors and dimensions of
Meghan’s depiction. |
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"Tea Time" by Sarah Hendrickson of Wall High was 2nd place runner-up.
Done in white charcoal, the judges immediately praised its clean,
realistic, photo-like appearance. |
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"The Watcher" by Grace Puharic of Wall High School was 3rd place runner-up. Done in
watercolor, the judges appreciated the fine detail in a small work, as well as the obscured
subject matter that called for discovery. |
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"Migration of the Nestingbacks," by Catherine Epps of Steinert High School, took home
Honorable Mention.Done in chalk pastel, the originality brings the beholder into
an other-worldly fantasy. |
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"Tableau Portraits" by Allentown High School Alyssa Hagen won an Honorable Mention.
Done in digital photography, the judges were impressed by the blending of mediums
and artistic creativity. |
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"Bright Night" by Stefani Stauffacher of Robbinsville High School won Honorable Mention.
. The judges were impressed by the colorful detail using a difficult medium with which to paint. |
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"Furry Friend" by Alexandria Lee of Wall High School won Honorable Mention.
The fine detail in the fur and lighting caught the attention of the judges. |
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Rep. Smith's 2019 judges, Jim Inzero, Rich Thompson and Debbie Jencsik, are all
accomplished artists. Above they judge this year's show on April 5, 2019. |
Scroll down below to view last year and previous years winning artwork.
Previous Year Winners
2018 Winners
You can click here to watch a slide show of the 2018 winners and read the announcement of 2018 winners.
Best in Show- Jordan Heine, 11th Grade, Wall High School; “American Graffiti” (acrylic on canvas)
First Place Runner-up- Micayla Augustyn, 12th Grade, Wall High School, “Dog Daze of Summer” (oil on canvas)
Second Place Runner-up- Kylie Frew, 10th Grade, Freehold Township Regional High School; “City Hall” (colored pencil)
Third Place Runner-up- Brynna Fisher, 10th Grade, Princeton Day School; “The Point of Construction” (mixed media collage)
Honorable Mention- Keon Cooper, 12th Grade, Hamilton High East (Steinert) School; “Savion” (digital painting)
Honorable Mention- Sarah Fakult, 11th Grade, Freehold Twp. Regional High; “Empower the Bully Breed with Flowers” (oil on canvas)
Honorable Mention- Gazal Mathur, 9th Grade, Robbinsville High School; “Sea’s Sick” (colored pencil)
Honorable Mention-Photography - Cece McCarthy, 12th Grade, Red Bank Regional High School; “Sky Light” (digital photography)
2018 WINNING STUDENTS – from left to right are: Honorable Mention winner Keon Cooper, 12th Grade,
Hamilton High East (Steinert); Honorable Mention winner Gazal Mathur, 9th Grade, Robbinsville High School;
Second Place Runner-up Kylie Frew, 10th Grade, Freehold Township Regional High School; Honorable Mention
winner Sarah Fakult, 11th Grade, Freehold Township Regional High School; RWJ-Hamilton President Richard
Freeman; Third Place Runner-up Brynna Fisher, 10th Grade, Princeton Day School; Honorable Mention-
Photography winner Cece McCarthy, 12th Grade, Red Bank Regional High School; First Place Runner-up Micayla
Augustyn, 12th Grade, Wall High School; Best in Show winner Jordan Heine, 11th Grade, Wall High School, and;
Rep. Chris Smith’s District Director, Jeff Sagnip.
DEDICATED ARTISTS JUDGE CONTEST - The 2018 judges were Debbie Jencsik of
Ocean County, N.J.; Jim Inzero, also of Ocean County, N.J., and; Rich Thompson of Mercer
County, N.J. judging was on March 23.
Winning Artwork for 2018
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"American Graffiti," by Jordan Heine won Best in Show and will be
shown in a national exhibit in Washington for one year. |
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"Dog Daze of Summer," by Micayla Augustyn of Wall, NJ took home
First Place Runner-Up.
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| Second Place Runner Up was "City Hall," by Kylie Frew of Freehold NJ. |
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| "Point of Construction" by Princeton Day School student Brynna Fisher of Hamilton, NJ won third place runner-up. |
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An Honorable Mention was given to "Empowering the Bully Breed with
Flowers," by Sarah Fakult of Freehold, NJ. |
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Judges gave an Honorable Mention to "Savion," by Keon Cooper.
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| An Honorable Mention went to "Sky Light," by CeCe McCarthy of Red Bank, NJ. |
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| Judges awarded an Honorable Mention to Sea's Sick, by Gazal Mathur of Robbinsville, NJ. |
2017 Winners
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2017 winners Linda Ting of High Tech High School; Tallia Maglione, Dylan Hemmer,
Courtney Pasterchick, Leanne Donnelly all of Wall High; Laura Brewer of Point Pleasant
Borough High, and; Micayla Augustyn of Wall High. |
Click here to see the announcement of winners and Slide Show photos at the 2017 show.
Best in Show – "The Carousel" (acrylic on board) by Tallia Maglione - Wall High School - Grade 12
1st Place Runner-up – "Memory Lane" (acrylic on canvas) by Linda Ting - High Tech High School - Grade 11
2nd Place – "Music for the Troops" (charcoal) by Courtney Pasterchick - Wall Township High School - Grade 12
3rd Place – "Animal Farm" (scratchboard) by Leanne Donnelly- Wall High School - Grade 12
Honorable Mention – "Happy Bird-Day" (colored pencil) by Micayla Augustyn - Wall Township High School - Grade 11
Honorable Mention - "Donuts" (colored pencil and acrylic on paper) by Dylan Hemmer - Wall High School - Grade 11
Honorable Mention- “Death Valley” (acrylic) by Laura Brewer - Point Pleasant Borough High School, Grade 11
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RWJ-Hamilton President and CEO Richard Freeman, on left, helps present 2017 Best
in Show winner Tallia Maglione, center, a 12th Grader at Wall High School, with the
blue ribbon and a congressional certificate. |
Winning Artwork for 2017
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Best in Show at Cong. Smith's art show was The Carousel by Tallia
Maglione of Wall High School. |
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Memory Lane by Linda Ting of Holmdel was 1st Runner-up at Cong. Smith's
annual art competition. Linda attends High Tech High School. |
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Music for the Troops by Courtney Pasterchick of Wall High School
won 2nd Place runner-up. |
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Animal Farm by Leanne Donnelly at Wall High School took 2nd place
Runner-up at Rep. Smith's annual Congressional Art Competition. |
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Death Valley by Laura Brewer of Point Pleasant
Borough High earned Honorable Mention. |
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An Honorable Mention went to Dylan Hemmer of Wall
High School for his work Doughnuts. |
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Happy Bird Day by Micayla Augustyn of Wall High
School earned an Honorable Mention. |
Information about the 2017 Congressional Art Competition
Click here to view all New Jersey winners.
Click here to view all national winners.
The process for submitting entries begins in February or March of each year. In 2017, the deadline to submit all artwork and
accompanying required forms was April 18. All artwork was to brought to RWJ-Hamilton to be judged by professional artists.
The 2017 judges were Debbie Jencsik of Ocean County, N.J.; Jim Inzero, also of Ocean County, N.J., and; Rich Thompson of
Mercer County, N.J. Click here for a summary about the 2017 judges. For the first time, in coordination with the RWJ-Hamilton,
I invited the judges to exhibit their own talented artwork.
Best in Show – "American Jazz" (colored pencil) by Maeve Crane- Wall High School - Grade 12
1st Place Runner-up – “Chilled" (pencil) by Kaela Rogers- Point Pleasant Borough High School - Grade 12
2nd Place – “4 Piece Happy Meal" (colored pencil ) by Micayla Augustyn- Wall Township High School - Grade 10
3rd Place – "Bottle Still Life" (white charcoal) by Nicolette Keale- Wall High School - Grade 12
Honorable Mention – "Interior Space" (ebony pencil) by Taylor Cuozzo- Freehold Township High School - Grade 11
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2016 NJ04 Congressional Art Winners (L-R): Micayla Augustyn, 10th Grade,
Wall High School; Maeve Crane,
12th Grade, Wall
HS; Taylor Cuozzo, 11th Grade,
Red Bank Regional; Nicolette Keale, 12th Grade,
Wall HS, and;
Kaela Rogers, 12th Grade, Point Pleasant Borough High School. |
Winning Artwork for 2016
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| Maeve Crane of Wall High School took the top honors of Best in Show |
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Best in Show – "American Jazz" by Maeve Crane of Wall, NJ |
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| The First Place Runner-up for 2016 was Kaela Rogers,
a 12th-Grader, at Point Pleasant Borough High School.
Her work was entitled “Chilled” done in pencil.
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| 2016 Second Place Runner-up was Micayla Augustyn 10th Grade,
Wall High School for her work "4 Piece Happy Meal" in colored pencil.
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| Third Place Runner-up for 2016 was Nicolette Keale, a 12th-Grader
at Wall High School, for her artwork "Bottle Still Life," in white charcoal.
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| Honorable Mention was awarded to Taylor Cuozzo, an 11th Grader
at Red Bank Regional High School Interior Space in ebony pencil. |
View All New Jersey Winners
View National Winners
2015 Winners
For 2015, the winners (artwork pictured below) are:
Best in Show – "Grandpa Tony" (acrylic) by Dominique Trotte - Howell High School - Grade 12
1st Place – “Scrabble Tiles" (color pencil) by Alyssa Bartlett - Wall High School - Grade 11
2nd Place – “Field Journal" (pencil and charcoal) by Andrea Dumalagan - Freehold Township High School - Grade 11
3rd Place – "Convention Hall" (acrylic on canvas) by Angel Ramos - Wall High School - Grade 12
Honorable Mention – "Coast" by Jorge Cortes-Breistan - Freehold Township High School - Grade 11 - watercolor
Winning Artwork for 2015
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TOP WINNER: 2015 Best in Show was "Grandpa Tony" by
Dominique Trotte of Howell High School 12th Grade. |
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"Scrabble Tiles" by Alyssa Bartlett
of Wall High School, Grade 11. |
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"Field Journal" by Andrea Dumalagan
of Freehold Twp High School, Grade 11. |
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"Convention Hall" by Angel Ramos
of Wall High School, Grade 12. |
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"Coast" by Jorge Cortes-Breistan
of Freehold Twp High School, Grade 11. |
2014 Winners
Best in Show – “The Understanding” (pencil), by Artemis Tapliga, 12th grade, Wall High School;
1st Place – “Bella” (duct tape), by Natalie Russell, 11th grade, Red Bank Regional High School
2nd Place – “Barber Shop” (Oil Paint), by Kyle Wainwright, 11th grade, Red Bank Regional High School
3rd Place – “Mom’s Kitchen” (pastel), Melissa Sandoval, 12th grade, Freehold Boro High School
Honorable Mention – “Confidence Shows” (photograph) Paige Clarke, 10th Grade, Freehold Twp. High School
Winning 2014 Artwork
ABOVE: Best in Show, “The Understanding” by Artemis Tapliga of Wall, N.J.
“Bella” by Natalie Russell
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“Barber Shop” by Kyle Wainwright |
“Mom’s Kitchen” by Melissa Sandoval |
“Confidence Shows” by Paige Clarke |
Previous years' winners:
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2013 Winner Best in Show,
"It's a Harsh World My Dear" by Lucy Wang |
In 2013, the Best in Show winner was, Lucy Wang for her artwork "It's A Harsh World, My Dear," an acrylic painted piece submitted by
the Holmdel High School 11th-grader. Other winners: 1st Place – “My Own Worst Enemy,” by Artemis Tapliga, of the 11th grade at Wall
High School; 2nd Place – “Kleptomania” by Scott Chinery, of 12th grade at Red Bank Regional High School; 3rd Place – “Boots” by
Chelsea Chinery, of the 11th grade at Rumson Fair Haven High School, and; Honorable Mention – “Jewel” by Nicole Sivetz, of the 10th
grade at St. Rose High School.
In 2012, 76 pieces from nine high schools and one home schooled student participated from seven public high school, one Catholic and one
private for Special Education students.
The winners of the Fourth Congressional District Art Competition in 2012 were:
- Best in Show (displayed in Washington, DC) – Larissa Naegele “ Blume” pencil self-portrait – Wall High School – 12th grade;
- 1st Place – Artemis Tapliga “Liberation of Letting Go” colored pencil – Wall High School – 10th grade (last years winner);
- 2nd Place – Mitch Douglas “A New Jersey Winter Evening” oil on canvas – Howell High School – 12th grade;
- 3rd Place – Brie Mueller “Baritone Self-Portrait” Chalk Pastel – Wall High School – 12th grade, and;
- Honorable Mention – Michael Read “Reflection” photograph – Manasquan High School – 12th grade.
The 2011 winners were: Best in Show, “Runaway,” Artemis Tapliga, 9th Grade, Wall High School; 1st Place,
“Beyond the Eyes of Autism,” Kerrie Hannen, 12th Grade, Colts Neck High School; 2nd Place, “Zeitgeist”,
Larissa Naegele, 11th Grade, Wall High School; 3rd Place, “Louie”, Marissa Priolo, 11th Grade, Wall High
School; Honorable Mention, “Spring Lake”, Samantha White, 12th Grade, The Rugby School at Woodfield.
The 2010 winners were: Best in Show, Alexis Clark, 12th grade student at Wall High School, for "Tree House"
in pencil; 1st Place, Heather Ehlert, 10th grade student at Wall High School, for "My Brother Colin" in pencil;
2nd Place, Victor Cortes, 11th grade student at Freehold High School, for "Still Life with Skulls" oil on canvas;
3rd Place, Alexis Papazoglou, 12th grade student at Freehold High School, for "Bathroom" oil on canvas, and;
Honorable Mention, Larissa Naegele, 10th grade student at Wall High School, for "This is Not a Photo" in pencil.
The 2009 winners were: Best in Show, Mona Cao, eleventh grade at Freehold Township High School, for “Clasped
Hands,” in colored pencil or paper category; First Place, Amy Borch, twelth grade at Howell High School, for “In
the Balance,” in acrylic on canvas category; Second Place, Erin Loelius, twelth grade at Wall Township High School,
for “Lips,” acrylic; Third Place, Perry Santulli, twelth grade at Wall Township High School, for “Space Odyssey,”
pencil category, and; Honorable Mention, Larissa Naegele, ninth grade at Wall Township High School, for “Flower
Child,” pencil category.
The top prize in 2008 – best in show – went to Caitlin McCarthy, of Wall Township for her winning entry, “500
Starbucks Later.” First place went to Danielle Sobol of Wall Township for her entry, “Times Square.” For winning
the first place prize, Danielle is also eligible for a scholarship opportunity from Georgian Court University. Other
winners in the 2008 competition include Jolie Menzel of Point Pleasant, Sabrina Hayes of Point Pleasant and Mary
Fenton of Wall Township.
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