Last night, Rep. Pete Aguilar hosted an awards ceremony and reception to announce the winner of the 2016 Congressional Art Competition, also known as the Artistic Discovery Contest, a national art challenge that is sponsored in congressional districts across the country. All high school students living in California’s 31st Congressional District were encouraged to participate in the art competition, which saw over sixty submissions. The theme for this year’s art contest was “CommUNITY.” Faith Antillon, a sophomore from Fontana High School, was awarded first place.

“We saw incredible talent and passion in every piece of art in this competition,” said Rep. Aguilar. He continued, “Giving our kids the freedom to explore their creativity and express themselves is an important opportunity that every child should be able to enjoy.  I congratulate all of the participants on their hard work and look forward to seeing where their paths will take them.”

The judging panel was composed of local artists including Christine Coates, an Inland Empire muralist; Professor Martha Cowan, a painter and former San Bernardino Valley College instructor; Melissa Russo, the San Bernardino County Museum Director; Professor Annie Buckley, an instructor at California State University, San Bernardino; and Teresa Hernandez of the Inland Empire Latino Art Association. Faith Antillon’s submission, “Undivided” was awarded first place. Faith is a sophomore at Fontana High School and aspires for a career with Disney in art animation. Faith received free airfare to Washington, DC, courtesy of Southwest, where her artwork will be on display for one year in the United States Capitol. Time Warner Cable also awarded her $1,000 for hotel accomodations and expenses for her visit to our nation’s capital. Franco Daniel Marin Panameno, a junior at the Public Safety Academy in San Bernardino, was awarded second place and Esmerelda Lara, a senior from Carter High School, was awarded third place.

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