{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://davids.house.gov/media/press-releases/after-record-submissions-davids-announces-winners-2024-congressional-art", "After Record Submissions, Davids Announces Winners of 2024 Congressional Art Competition", "2024-05-13", "2024", "2024-05", "Democrat", "House", "KS", "Sharice Davids", "D000629", "davids.house.gov", "davids", "https://davids.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "This weekend, Representative Sharice Davids hosted a reception honoring the student applicants who participated in her 2024 Congressional Art Competition. This year, Davids\u2019 office received a record-breaking 35 student submissions, doubling the number from previous years.\n\nAt the event, Davids announced the winners:\n\nFirst Place: Siena Masilionis, a student at Blue Valley North High School, for \u201cA Dream Realized.\u201d\n\nThe piece will hang in the U.S. Capitol for one year.\n\nSecond Place: Samantha Woods, a student at Blue Valley West High School, for \u201cGrowing Apart.\u201d\n\nThe piece will hang in Davids\u2019 Overland Park district office for one year.\n\n\"I am incredibly proud of all the talented students who participated in our congressional art competition this year,\u201d said Davids. \u201cCongratulations to this year\u2019s winners, Siena Masilionis and Samantha Woods, for their impressive and moving pieces. The creativity and dedication of all 35 young artists showcase the bright future of our community.\"\n\nImage\n\nSiena Masilionis\u2019 \u201cA Dream Realized\u201d \u2013 The drawing depicts a triumphant moment for Jack, a junior swimmer at Blue Valley North High School. Jack, who is Masilionis\u2019 best friend, achieved his first-ever state qualifying cut by surpassing his personal best meet time. The artwork captures Jack celebrating his achievement by clasping his parents' hands in joy.\n\n\u201cWhen I was a little kid, I went to the Capitol and saw the hallway with all of the artwork and said \u2018I want to be there,\u2019\u201d said Siena Masilionis, 2024 Congressional Art Competition winner. \u201cMy parents remembered how excited I was about this competition at eight years old, so it\u2019s so cool to win because it all came full circle.\u201d\n\nImage\n\nSamantha Woods\u2019 \u201cGrowing Apart\u201d \u2013 The acrylic painting portrays Woods and her brother, Tyler, engaged in childhood bickering. This sibling rivalry, which eventually evolved into a strong bond, was tragically disrupted by Tyler's passing at the age of 17. Woods reflects on the cherished memories of their time together, the profound grief caused by his untimely death, and her evolving perspective on life.\n\n\u201cMy piece is definitely something I hold close to my heart. It\u2019s hard for me to open that up to people, so showing that to the world is very important to me,\u201d said Samantha Woods,2024 Congressional Art Competition runner-up. \u201cWhen I heard my name, it felt good to be recognized for my love for my brother and my creativity. I know that along the way, my pieces may not touch on my grief but rather my future, but I\u2019ll still hold the identity of my brother with me.\u201d\n\nThe Congressional Art Competition began in 1982 to provide an opportunity for Members of Congress to encourage and recognize the artistic talents of their constituents. Since then, more than 650,000 high school students have been involved in the nationwide competition.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:01:11Z"]], "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://davids.house.gov/media/press-releases/after-record-submissions-davids-announces-winners-2024-congressional-art"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.6764309257268906, "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"}