photo by: Richard Gwin

Lawrence High School senior Caroline Baloga, left, accepted the 2016 Congressional Art Competition award for her painting Vivid

For the third year in a row, the winner of the Congressional Art Competition is a Lawrence High School student.

LHS senior Caroline Baloga was named the winner of Kansas’ 2nd Congressional District competition for her still-life painting, “Vivid Hues.” Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins, who represents the 2nd District, presented the award to Baloga Thursday at LHS.

“We just couldn’t be more proud of you, couldn’t be more proud of your instructor,” Jenkins told LHS students, teachers and administrators who gathered in the LHS art room.

Baloga’s instructor is Wendy Vertacnik, who received a certificate for the honor. As the winner of the 2nd District, Baloga and a guest will get to travel to Washington, D.C., for the national award reception. Each of the 435 congressional districts in the U.S. selects one winner, and Baloga’s painting will be displayed for one year at the Capitol along with the art of the nation’s other honorees.

The contest began in 1982 and is open to all high school students and includes several categories of two-dimensional work, such as paintings, drawings and photography. Each congressional district has a panel of judges who select the winning entry. Jenkins said that this year the district had more participants than ever before.

“We had well over 100 submissions from 14 schools in the 25 counties that I represent,” she said.

After the recognition, Baloga said she was excited for the national exposure and her upcoming trip to the capital.

“I’ve never really had my work shown somewhere else besides Kansas, so I was really excited about that,” Baloga said. “And going to Washington, D.C., that’ll be pretty fun too.”

“Vivid Hues” is a pastel painting that depicts a typical still-life scene of a pitcher, bowl and fruit. Baloga said that she needed a still-life for her art portfolio, and she wasn’t too excited about making the piece until she actually started working on it.

“When I got into it, it was fun like experimenting with color and just trying to make something simple beautiful, even though it’s just objects,” she said.

Baloga will attend the University of Michigan next school year, where she said she plans to major in architecture and art.