Harper wins Congressional Art Competition

On Saturday, April 21, U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson (R-NC) announced at an awards ceremony and reception held at the Kannapolis Train Station that Jayden Harper, a student at Westover High School, won first place in North Carolina’s Eighth District Congressional Art Competition.

“Every year, I am amazed by the incredible talent and creativity of young artists in our district,” Hudson said. “And one of the best parts is getting to speak with the students one-on-one about their artwork at the reception. I look forward to showing off our district’s artistic talents in my offices and admiring Jayden’s artwork while it hangs in the Capitol.”

Hudson announced the first-, second- and third-place winners as well as the winner of the Fan Favorite award to the submission with the most “likes” on Facebook. This year, 27 high school students submitted their art work, which is reviewed by a panel of judges from the district. The theme of this year’s competition was “Hometown.”

Winning artwork will be displayed for one year in the U.S. Capitol. Second-place artwork will be displayed in Hudson’s Washington, D.C., office and third place will be displayed in Hudson’s Concord office.

Harper’s piece, titled “Elephant,” was selected by an Arts Advisory Committee made up of artists from the district. Harper and one guest will have the opportunity to visit Washington, D.C., to participate in the national ceremony with other winners from congressional districts across the country. His artwork will also be displayed for one year at the U.S. Capitol for all to admire.

Hannah Tatman, a student from Terry Sanford High School, won second place in the competition. Qing Xi Li, a student from South Stanly High School, won third place in the competition. KeKe Reid, a student at Concord High School, won the Fan Favorite award with her artwork receiving 210 likes on Facebook.