Congressional Art Competition Winners Named

Ruiz Announces Winners of the 2021 Congressional Art Competition

PALM DESERT – The office of Congressman Raul Ruiz, M.D. announced the winners of the 2021 Congressional Art Competition. Every year, students submit entries to their representative’s office and a panel of local artists who select the winning entry. The winner is recognized both in their district and in Washington, D.C., where their artwork will hang in the U.S. Capitol for one year. This year’s winner from the 36th District is Zubin Carvalho of Western Center Academy in Hemet.

“Congratulations to Zubin Carvalho on coming in first place in this year’s Congressional Art Competition,” said Dr. Ruiz. “I’m looking forward to seeing Zubin’s extraordinary piece, ‘The Light at the End of the Tunnel’ displayed in the Capitol. I am inspired by all of our high school students’ dedication and creativity, and I thank all the students who submitted their outstanding works for this year’s Art Competition.”

“The picture [is of] my dad and two nurses from our local hospital,” said Zubin Carvalho. “I was inspired this year by the healthcare and frontline workers from our local community… This is personal for me. This has been a hard year for everyone, so the vaccine shots represent the light at the end of the tunnel.”

The Congressional Art Competition began in 1982 to provide an opportunity for members of Congress to encourage and recognize the artistic talents of their young constituents. Since then, over 650,000 high school students have been involved in this nationwide competition. You can see more about the Congressional Art Competition on Dr. Ruiz’s website here.

2021 Congressional Art Competition Winners for California’s 36th District

• 1st Place – Zubin Carvalho (Hemet Western Center Academy)
• 2nd Place – Mariah Sufficool (Beaumont High School)
• 3rd Place – Juan Martinez (San Jacinto Mountain View High School)

This year’s winning artwork for California’s 36th Congressional District comes from Zubin Carvalho titled “The Light at the End of the Tunnel.” This artwork was created with sharpie medium point pen and depicts Zubin’s father and two nurses showing their Band-Aids after receiving their COVID-19 vaccine shot.

Zubin will be beginning his junior year at Western Center Academy. The Washington D.C. Winners Reception has been indefinitely postponed, but Zubin will travel to Washington D.C. to have her artwork displayed in the U.S. Capitol once a date is set by the Congressional Institute.

The second artwork receiving recognition was composed by Mariah Sufficool of Beaumont High School. Mariah received second place for her digital artwork “Peace and Purity” and will have her artwork displayed in Rep. Ruiz’s D.C. office.

The third artwork receiving recognition was composed by Juan Martinez of San Jacinto Mountain View High School. Juan received third place for his artwork “Shoes” and will have his artwork displayed in Rep. Ruiz’s Palm Desert office.

The office of Congressman Raul Ruiz, M.D. is proud to honor these young artists and all high school students in the district who participated in this year’s Congressional Art Competition.

Any questions regarding future Congressional Art Competition Submissions, please contact Rep. Ruiz’s Office at 760-424-8888 or click here for more information.