U.S. Rep. George Whitesides, D-Agua Dulce, has announced the 2025 Congressional Art Competition winners for the 27th California Congressional District.

The following students were selected for their work:

First Place – “Flipped,” a digital art piece by Ellie Sienna Song from West Ranch High School.

Second Place – “A Collage of Self-Understanding,” a digital collage piece by Andrea Lucia Espinoza Castillo from Eastside High School.

Third Place – “Between you and Me,” an oil painting on canvas by Audrey Kim from Valencia High School.

Fourth Place – “Potential” a charcoal piece by Eliana Kalea Contreras-Johnson from Quartz Hill High School.

“In a world shrouded in fear for the future, discontent and depression, I feel we often get lost in the dark moments, forgetting about the innocence we once held,” said Song. “As children, we all had the natural ability to imagine magical fantasies amidst our everyday lives. I wanted to portray that feeling in his piece by playing with the viewer’s sense of reality with this flipped image and the flying turtles.”

The top four pieces will be displayed in various locations representing the community.

The first-place winner, Song’s artwork, will be exhibited in the U.S. Capitol, while the second-place entry will be displayed in Congressman Whitesides’ D.C. office. The third- and fourth-place winners will have their works shown in Whiteside’s two district offices.

The panel of judges for this year’s competition came from across the district and represented a variety of artistic backgrounds, including:

Donna Weil – Lakes and Valleys Art Gallery

Cynthia Alvarado – Museum of Art and History (Museum Curatorial)

Christine Mugnolo – Antelope Valley College

Antoinette De Paiva – Artuity Studio

Paula Bradely – The Acton Agua Dulce Arts Association

Lauren Chomuk- Drawn2Art Valencia

Evelyn Rivas – Antelope Valley Union High School District

Merissa Naftulin – Santa Clarita Artists Association

Kerry Summers – Castaic Union School District

Naomi Young – Santa Clarita Artists Association

Catherine Wang – Cal Arts

Roscoe Hayden – Cal Arts

Each spring, members of Congress host the Congressional Art Competition to recognize and encourage artistic talent across their districts and the nation. Since the Artistic Discovery Competition began in 1982, more than 650,000 high school students have participated.