United States Representative Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) announced today that Brooke Kao of North Potomac is the winner of the 26th Annual Congressional Art Competition for the Eighth Congressional District of Maryland. Brooke is a student at Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville, Maryland. Her acrylic painting entitled “Nothing Ever Matches with Anything” will be on display in the United States Capitol beginning in June for one year.
Three runners-up will have their work displayed in Van Hollen’s Capitol Hill and district offices. The winners were announced at an awards ceremony and reception at The Mansion at Strathmore in North Bethesda. Approximately 300 people were in attendance, including students, teachers, principals, families and friends. Congressman Van Hollen presented certificates of participation to each student artist and announced the winners of the competition.
The winners were selected from more than 200 students participating from 24 schools. Because of limitations on exhibition space, jurors could only select 90 entries to include in the exhibit. The exhibition will be on display at The Mansion at Strathmore from May 2 – 31, 2007 and is open to the public for viewing.
The following is a list of the winners.
**Winner of the 26th Annual Congressional Art Competition**
Brooke Kao (of North Potomac) from Richard Montgomery High School
Runners-Up (in no particular order):
1. Shelley Rees (of Bethesda) from Walter Johnson High
2. Jacqueline Kim (of Potomac) from Walt Whitman High School
3. Eleanor Vogel (of Bethesda) from Walt Whitman High School
Honorable Mentions (in no particular order):
1. Adriana Marroquin (of Germantown) from Northwest High School
2. Angelina She (of Rockville) from Thomas Wootton High School
3. Magrieta Coolidge-Van Duren (of Chevy Chase) from Bethesda-Chevy High School
4. Mercedes Lopez (of Silver Spring) from Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart