Congressman Cliff Bentz Announces Winner of the 2025 Congressional Art Competition
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Cliff Bentz (OR-O2) announced that Talula Heckendorf, a junior from Phoenix High School, has been selected as the winner of OR-02’s 2025 Congressional Art Competition out of a record number of 38 amazing submissions!
Talula’s artwork, “Man Walking Through an Alaskan Town", was selected by a panel of five judges who praised the piece as having ‘great depth, detail and perspective’. Talula may travel to Washington, D.C. to see her artwork displayed in the national student art exhibit in the U.S. Capitol and attend a reception in her honor.
"I am pleased to congratulate Talula on this terrific achievement. I look forward to seeing Man Walking Through an Alaskan Town each day over the up-coming year, as I walk to and from the House Chamber. I thank her for her incredible work. Congratulations, Talula!" Congressman Bentz said.
Bentz also announced three regional winners from Oregon’s Second District. Regional winners will have their art displayed in one of Congressman Bentz’s offices in either Medford, OR, Ontario, OR or Washington, D.C.
These three winners are:
- Oregon: Wild and Beautiful by Avery McLean, Crater High School, Grade 12
- Mangoes by Lesly Alvarado Perez, McLoughlin High School, Grade 10
- Colorful Desert Sunset with Huge Cacti by Talula Heckendorf, Phoenix High School, Grade 11
Congressman Bentz thanked the judges for their work in judging the 2025 competition. “Thank you to the judges who volunteered their time and expertise to our district's art competition,” Bentz said. “They helped make this year's competition not just memorable but also a great success.”
Judges for the 2025 Congressional Art Competition in Oregon’s Second Congressional District included:
- Kelly Wick, Kelly’s Gallery at Joseph
- Rick Steber, Author from Prineville
- Pamela Claflin, Pamela Claflin Fine Art from Prineville
- Judy Phearson, Favell Museum from Klamath Falls
- Pam Helfrich, Art Teacher from Ontario
The Congressional Art Competition is a nationwide program for students to showcase their artistic abilities and to highlight the importance of art education. Since its start in 1982, more than 700,000 high school students from around the country have participated.
More information about this annual competition can be found, here.
“Man Walking Through an Alaskan Town" by Talula Heckendorf