A teenager from Cass County was honored Thursday afternoon as the winner of an art competition. Jessica Marshall, a Junior at the Griswold High School was recognized during a special ceremony held in the Griswold High School Auditorium. Iowa Republican Congressman David Young announced during the event that Marshall as the winner of a 3rd Congressional District Art Competition. Jessica says the sketch “Word Art: The Young Child,” was part of an assignment.

Jessica Marshall’s award winning sketch.

She says the assignment was to choose a picture and add a 10 word description. Instead, she chose the words first and then the photo, which depicted despair, sorrow, helplessness and vulnerability. She created a pencil sketch of the photo that incorporated the words she chose. The award came as a complete surprise to Marshall, because she thought one of her classmates was getting an award. The chance to submit art work for the contest was optional for students in the class.

Despite receiving the award, she says she doesn’t see herself making a career out of being an artist. Marshall has received other awards and honors, but the Congressional award was by far the most prominent she’s received, so far. Congressman David Young said he’s thrilled to recognize people in the 3rd District for their efforts, talents and contributions to society.

Young says Jessica’s work will be displayed alongside works from students in much larger districts from across the country, in a hallway between the U-S House Buildings and the Capitol in Washington, D-C. Every time a member of the U-S House prepares to vote, they’ll walk by Marshall’s art and those of other students.

In addition to winning the award, Jessica Marshall will take a round-trip trip for two to Washington, D.C., on June 24th, for a special awards ceremony to honor all the competition winners. She may also be eligible to receive a $1,500 art scholarship. High school students from all 16 counties in Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District submitted artwork. Jessica had the highest score from the judges, making her the winner. 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, more than 650,000 high school students have participated in the nationwide competition.