{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://bentz.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-cliff-bentz-announces-winner-of-the-2026-congressional-art-competition", "Congressman Cliff Bentz Announces Winner of the 2026 Congressional Art Competition", "2026-05-14", "2026", "2026-05", "Republican", "House", "OR", "Cliff Bentz", "B000668", "bentz.house.gov", "bentz", "https://bentz.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Today, Congressman Cliff Bentz (OR-O2) announced that Yi-jia, Lu (Lyra Lu), a junior attending Burns High School, has been selected as the winner of OR-02\u2019s 2026 Congressional Art Competition out of a record number of amazing submissions.\n\nYi-jia Lu's (Lyra Lu\u2019s) artwork, \"Still, She Rises\", was selected by a panel of five judges who praised Lyra\u2019s work as \u201cbeautifully executed and quite powerful\u201d. Her drawing will be displayed during the forthcoming year as part of the national student art exhibit located within the U.S. Capitol.\n\nYi-jia, Lu (Lyra Lu), said, describing what she had created: \u201cThis colored pencil piece is about how freedom isn\u2019t always loud or obvious. I wanted it to feel more quiet and personal, like something that exists inside someone instead of something far away. The face represents a person, and the Statue of Liberty comes out of it instead of being separate. To me, that shows how freedom isn\u2019t just a symbol, it\u2019s something people carry with them. The eagle and the buildings represent the country, but they\u2019re less detailed because I wanted them to feel more like an idea than something fixed. With the U.S. celebrating another year of independence, I thought about how patriotism isn\u2019t\u2019 the same for everyone. For some people it\u2019s loud and proud, but for others it\u2019s more quiet and personal. As the image fades out to the right, it shows how freedom can feel unclear or change over time, but it\u2019s still something that is always there.\u201d\n\nSaid Congressman Bentz: \"I congratulate Yi-jia on her achievement. I look forward to seeing Still, She Rises during the up-coming year, as I, along with my 434 congressional colleagues, walk to and from the House Chamber to vote and debate national issues. I thank her for her incredible work. Congratulations!\"\n\nBentz also announced three regional winners from Oregon\u2019s Second District. Regional winners will have their art displayed in one of Congressman Bentz\u2019s offices in either Medford, OR, Ontario, OR or Washington, D.C.\n\nThese three winners are:\n\n\u2018The Pillars that Built a Nation\u2019, Phoenix High School, Grade 12\n\n\u2018To My Great-Grandfather May He Rest\u2019, Phoenix High School, Grade 12\n\n\u2018Two Promises\u2019, Crater High School, Grade 12\n\nCongressman Bentz thanked the judges for their work in judging the 2025 competition. \u201cThank you to the judges who volunteered their time and expertise to our district's art competition,\u201d Bentz said. \u201cThey helped make this year's competition a success.\u201d\n\nThe Congressional Art Competition is a nationwide program for students to showcase their artistic abilities and to highlight the importance of art education. Since its start in 1982, more than 700,000 high school students from around the country have participated.", 1, "2026-06-27T21:44:12Z", "2026-06-27T22:21:02Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://bentz.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-cliff-bentz-announces-winner-of-the-2026-congressional-art-competition"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7155120838433504, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}