Amador Valley High School’s Anica Xie has been named the winner of the 2021 Congressional Art Competition for California’s 15th District for her work “Black Lives Matter,” according to a release from the office of Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Castro Valley.

Hannah McCutcheon of Dougherty Valley High School placed second for her work “Discovering Your Identity.” (Image courtesy of Hannah McCutcheon)

Every year, the Congressional Institute supports the national competition to recognize visual artists from across the country and from each congressional district. Xie’s artwork stood out to the panel of local artists, which reviewed 54 submissions from high school students throughout the district, as emotive and relevant to the current political climate.

Emily Chao of Amador Valley High School placed third for her work “Discovering Your Identity.” (Image courtesy of Emily Chao)

“Anica’s piece perfectly captures the pain and progress of the Black Lives Matter movement and I am thrilled to have it represent our district in the halls of Congress,” Swalwell said.

The competition’s first and second runner-up are Hannah McCutcheon from Dougherty Valley High School for her piece entitled “Discovering Your Identity” and Emily Chao, another student from Amador Valley High School, for her entry “Memories of Perseverance.”

Xie’s work will be displayed in the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., for one year, and the work of the remaining top three finalists will be displayed at Swalwell’s Castro Valley Office.