Congressman Gonzalez Announces Winner of the 2018 Congressional Art Competition

WASHINGTON – Congressman Vicente Gonzalez (TX-15) announced that Leonardo Flores, a student at Edinburg High School, is the winner of the 2018 Congressional Art Competition. This year's theme for the 15th District of Texas was ‘Home of the Brave,' a celebration of our men and women in uniform.

Mr. Flores' winning piece, ‘John 4:18,' will be displayed in the U.S. Capitol. Congressional art competition winners are awarded a trip to Washington, D.C., and receive a $3,000 art scholarship to attend Savannah College of Arts and Design, or Tennessee Wesleyan College.

"I would like to congratulate Leonardo Flores on winning this year's art competition that honored the nation's military," Congressman Gonzalez said. "Mr. Flores' artistic depiction emulates the sacrifices that those in the U.S. armed forces make every day. It reminds us that the families and loved ones of servicemembers embody the meaning of ‘home' for these American heroes."

This year, students honored the contributions and courage of the more than 600 guardsmen, 34,000 veterans, and 780 servicemembers who live in the 15th District of Texas.

Last year, the congressman introduced H.R. 3429, the Repatriate Our Patriots Act, to create a pathway to citizenship for wrongly deported U.S. veterans who were honorably discharged and had a clean record prior to service. The congressman also spent last Thanksgiving with U.S. troops stationed in Afghanistan, including one servicemember from Seguin, Texas.

For further information on future art competitions, submission deadlines, rules, and eligibility, please visit our website, or contact Desi Romero at 956-682-5545.