Congresswoman McCollum Announces Winners of the 2026 Congressional Art Competition

SAINT PAUL, Minn. - Congresswoman Betty McCollum, Dean of the Minnesota Congressional Delegation, hosted a recognition evening and exhibit on Thursday night to announce the winners of the 2026 Congressional Art Competition in Minnesota's Fourth Congressional District.

The first-place winner for the 2026 Congressional Art Competition is Alyssa Wang of Woodbury, for her graphite piece entitled "Color Me Happy." Saint Paul's Rebecca Maas placed second for her oil painting entitled "While I Sleep In." Lily Kroeger of North St. Paul took third place for her colored pencil piece entitled "Puppeteer My Own Limits."

"Over the weekend, more than 6,400 people took the opportunity to view the amazing talent and creativity of the more than sixty young artists from across the Fourth District who competed in the 2026 Congressional Art Competition," said Congresswoman Betty McCollum. "I'm grateful to all the students who applied their time, effort, and creativity to submit a piece of artwork, and I commend them for showing the courage to showcase their talents to our community. Congratulations to Alyssa, Rebecca, and Lily!

Wang's first place work will be displayed in the U.S. Capitol alongside winners from across the United States. Maas' work will be displayed in Congresswoman McCollum's Washington, D.C. office, and Kroeger's piece will hang in the Congresswoman's Saint Paul office. The competition was open to all Fourth District high school students and attracted dozens of entries which were displayed at the Atrium Gallery of the Schmidt Artist Lofts as part of the 2026 Spring Saint Paul Art Crawl.

A panel of Fourth Congressional District Resident Artists generously volunteered their time to judge the students' art. The winners were announced during a recognition evening on Thursday, April 23rd, 2026, at the Schmidt Artist Lofts.

All 2026 entries can be viewed online here.