National Recognition For Pass Area, Nearby Student Artists

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — Three student artists from Riverside County's 36th Congressional District are receiving some well-deserved recognition as part of the 2021 Congressional Art Competition.

Each year, students submit competition entries to their representative’s office and a panel of local artists select the winning entry. On Friday, the office of Congressman Raul Ruiz (D-Palm Desert) released the winners from his 36th District:

1st Place – Zubin Carvalho (Western Center Academy in Hemet)
2nd Place – Mariah Sufficool (Beaumont High School)
3rd Place – Juan Martinez (San Jacinto Mountain View High School)

Zubin's “The Light at the End of the Tunnel" will hang in the U.S. Capitol for one year, while Mariah's "Peace and Purity” will be displayed in Ruiz’s Washington, D.C. office and Juan's “Shoes” will be showcased in the Congressman's Palm Desert office.

“Congratulations to Zubin Carvalho on coming in first place in this year’s Congressional Art Competition,” Ruiz said. “I’m looking forward to seeing Zubin’s extraordinary piece, ‘The Light at the End of the Tunnel’ displayed in the Capitol. I am inspired by all of our high school students’ dedication and creativity, and I thank all the students who submitted their outstanding works for this year’s art competition.”

Zubin's artwork was created with a sharpie medium point pen and depicts his father and two nurses showing their Band-Aids after receiving the COVID-19 vaccination.

“The picture [is of] my dad and two nurses from our local hospital,” Zubin said. "I was inspired this year by the healthcare and frontline workers from our local community… This is personal for me. This has been a hard year for everyone, so the vaccine shots represent the light at the end of the tunnel.”

Zubin will be beginning his junior year at Western Center Academy. The Washington D.C. Winners Reception has been indefinitely postponed, but Zubin will travel to the U.S. Capitol to see his artwork displayed once a date is set by the Congressional Institute.

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 650,000 high school students have been involved in this nationwide competition. You can see more about the Congressional Art Competition on Ruiz’s website here.