Three from Brownsville ISD win congressional art contest

Veterans Memorial Early College High School senior Sophia C. Acevedo-Gomez has won the annual 34th Congressional District art contest and will have her painting, “Unspoken Empathy,” displayed at the U.S. Capitol.

The competition takes place in every congressional district in the country. The winning entries are displayed in the U.S. Capitol tunnel for one year.

“I personally promote it heavily because I love the arts, and I love the arts that we have down here in South Texas,” U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez said last week as he announced this year’s winners in the board room of the Brownsville Independent School District.

A view of Sophia Acevedo-Gomez’s first place 2025 congressional art competition painting titled “Unspoken Empathy” on Friday, May 2, 2025. (Miguel Roberts/The Brownsville Herald)

This year, all three winners came from BISD. Last year’s winners came from three different counties and three different school districts in the 34th, which stretches from Hidalgo County to Brownsville and along the Texas gulf coast to Kingsville.

“I have to say we always display some of the best art in the country, and it gets a lot of attention,” Gonzalez said. “It’s a great opportunity to take South Texas art to Washington.”

The piece Acevedo-Gomez submitted shows her taking off her father Juan Gomez’s boots.

“I was welding in the garage and I came inside and sat down in the chair. I think she said ‘let me take off your boots, something like that.’ I was tired and put my leg up and she started taking off my boots,” Gomez said, explaining that he was the muse for the piece.

Her art teacher Javier Barbosa said he encouraged Acevedo-Gomez to submit the piece, which she painted on a two-dimensional flat surface to create a three-dimensional look.

Since 1982, more than 650,000 high school students have entered for a chance to have their artwork displayed in the U.S. Capitol. This year, Gonzalez’s office received 94 submissions.

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A view of Mailyn Matoviche’s second place 2025 congressional art competition painting titled “State Bound” on Friday, May 2, 2025. (Miguel Roberts/The Brownsville Herald)

A view of Itzel Martinez’s third place 2025 congressional art competition painting titled “I am Made from the Fragility of Opal” on Friday, May 2, 2025. (Miguel Roberts/The Brownsville Herald)

Brownsville Independent School District (BISD) art students hold up their art pieces, which won the 2025 congressional art competition as Sophia Acevedo-Gomez, from left, holds her first place painting, alongside Mailyn Matoviche’s second place painting and Itzel Martinez on Friday, May 2, 2025. (Miguel Roberts/The Brownsville Herald)

A view of Sophia Acevedo-Gomez’s first place 2025 congressional art competition painting titled “Unspoken Empathy” on Friday, May 2, 2025. (Miguel Roberts/The Brownsville Herald)

A reception will be held in Washington later this year to honor Acevedo-Gomez and the other winners. In addition, she will be eligible to receive a $3,000 art scholarship to attend the Savannah College of Art and Design, should she apply and be accepted for enrollment.

Runners-up were Lopez Early College High School senior Mailyn Matovich, second place for a piece called “State Bound,” and third-place winner junior Itzel Martinez from Rivera Early College High School for her drawing “I am Made from the Fragility of Opal.”

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