A pencil drawing that beautifully captured the spirit of Isabelle Bryant's grandfather has earned the Carmi-White County High School junior first place in the 2019 Congressional Art Competition for the 15th District of Illinois, Congressman John Shimkus (R, Illinois-15) has announced.

"Isabelle's entry stood out to the judges," noted Shimkus. "Even though they had no way of knowing he was her grandfather, it was apparent that there was a connection between the artist and the subject. Unfortunately, her grandfather, Richard Gates, passed away in January, but Isabelle is certainly keeping his memory alive."

Mr. Gates was a lifelong farmer who had been a past director of the White County Farm Bureau and the Illinois Corn Growers Association, as well as a longtime Pioneer Seed dealer, hence the name of his granddaughter's artwork, "Pioneer Man."

"Pioneer Man" will be displayed for the next year in the pedestrian tunnel that connects the U.S. Capitol with the Cannon House Office Building in Washington, DC. The exhibit includes the winners from congressional districts across the country and is seen by hundreds of staff and visitors each day.

Each spring, the Congressional Institute sponsors the nationwide high school visual art contest to recognize and encourage artistic talent in each congressional district. Since it began in 1982, more than 650,000 high school students have participated.

In addition to being recognized in their congressional district, the creators of the first-place artwork are flown to Washington for an annual awards ceremony.

Honorable-mention selections from this year’s 15th District competition will be displayed in the congressman's offices in Maryville, Harrisburg, Danville and Effingham. They are: