Djordje Jevtic, an exchange student from Belgrade, Serbia, who is attending Scarborough High School, has won the 2015 Congressional Art Competition for Maine’s First District. His submission was a distinctive self-portrait in acrylic.

“I’m always amazed by the quality of work that Maine students submit to this competition. I’m excited that Djordje’s work will represent our state at the Capitol—it shows a lot of talent. Winning the competition should be a great memory of Maine for him to bring back home,” said Congresswoman Chillie Pingree.

“My thanks and congratulations go to all the students who participated this year, the art teachers who inspire them, and the Maine Arts Commission for coordinating this wonderful event. ”

Jevtic, who goes by “George,” has attended Scarborough High School since September. While he has drawn many comics in graphite and charcoal, his winning piece in the competition was his first-ever painting. He hopes to attend a college in Prague next year to study medicine.

The judges also recognized the work of five other First District students—1st runner-up Anna Kinee of Brunswick High School, 2nd runner-up Olivia Potter of Morse High School, and honorable mentions Kailey Coleman of Noble High School, Haleigh McKechnie of Thornton Academy, and Lily Munroe of Brunswick High School.

Held each year, the Congressional Art Competition features one piece of student artwork from every participating Congressional District in the country. Maine’s winners, chosen by jurors selected by the Maine Arts Commission, will have their work displayed in the halls of the U.S. Capitol for a year.

First-place winners will travel to Washington, courtesy of private sponsors, to participate in an opening ceremony in June. Winners and runners-up will be honored at a Blaine House reception in May and are also offered scholarships from the Maine College of Art.

The Congressional Art Competition began in 1982 to provide an opportunity for Members of Congress to encourage and recognize the artistic talents of their young constituents. Since then, over 700,000 high school students have competed for the honor of having their work shown in the U.S. Capitol.