Hayley Jasper of  Hawkins High School has won the 2021 Congressional Art Competition, Rep. Louie Gohmert (TX-01) announced Thursday.

Jasper’s entry “Diamond Days” will hang in the Capitol Tunnel in Washington, D.C. for one year.

The Congressman also released the following statement:

 “This year’s Congressional Art Competition winners are absolutely phenomenal.

“As we watch more and more schools eliminate art programs due to the increasing emphasis on ‘testing,’ it brought me great joy to view all of the wonderful entries from 40 talented students from 22 schools located in the First Congressional District.

“The arts play such a significant role in spurring creativity and innovation in our children’s lives, and science shows that art and music have a positive effect on their social, emotional and cognitive developments. It should come as no surprise that some of the greatest thinkers in the world have also been artists.

“I’d like to thank all of the students for sharing their works of art and I commend them for pursuing their talents and dreams. While we were unable to gather this year as we usually do, hosting this contest virtually enabled even more people to view and appreciate the artwork than if we had held an in-person event.

“We also owe a debt of gratitude to our teachers who encourage and mentor these wonderful students to grow in their talents and abilities and to our judges who put their valuable time and effort into carefully analyzing each entry.”