Winslow freshman Lindsay Cox did not expect much when her art teacher told the class about the Congressional Art Competition. The assignment sounded simple enough: students could create a painting of their choice and submit it. Lindsay, a 14-year-old in her first year of high school has a love for history, literature, theater and visual art, and decided she would paint something connected to one of her favorite writers, French author and philosopher Albert Camus.
“I did not think anything big would come about it,” Lindsay said. “I’m just like, yeah, I’m just going to paint a silly little guy and then turn it in and nothing’s going to happen.”
Something did happen. Lindsay won first place in the 2026 Congressional Art Competition for Arizona’s Second Congressional District, a recognition that will send her artwork to Washington, D.C., where it will be displayed for one year in the U.S. Capitol alongside winning pieces from congressional districts across the country. She will also travel to Washington, D.C., at the end of June for an awards banquet with other winners from across the country She also received a $9,000 scholarship to Northern Arizona University.
Lindsay described herself as “a huge history nerd” and said she is drawn to the work of Camus, Kafka and Dostoevsky. While many freshmen are still finding their interests, Lindsay speaks comfortably about literature, World War II, art history and the emotions she wants her work to carry. “I really, really, really like Albert Camus and I like his work,” Lindsay said. “That was kind of my inspiration for why I chose what I did.”
The winning painting was based on an image she found that included Camus and a cat, which was enough to catch her attention. “I want an excuse to draw this silly guy I like,” Lindsay said. “I looked up a picture on my computer and I was like, this one has a cat. I’m going do that one.” The idea came quickly, but Lindsay said she put real effort into the painting once she started working on it. She completed the piece in class in about three hours.
The result was selected from a field of more than 100 entries. Lindsay said she had seen some of the other submissions and did not think she had much of a chance. “I was looking at the other entries and I’m like, I’m so cooked. These are so good.”
The award ceremony was held at the Phippen Museum in Prescott Valley, where Congressman Eli Crane announced the winners. Lindsay’s family learned shortly before the event that she should attend, which led them to believe she had likely won something, though she assumed it might be an honorable mention. As the ceremony went on and other names were called, Lindsay said the suspense grew. “As it got closer and closer to first, I’m sitting here thinking I either won or they made a mistake and I came here for no reason.”
Then her name was called for first place. Lindsay said her art teacher told her father that the judges “just kept coming back to mine.”
As a freshman, Lindsay said she was caught off guard when people began asking about college plans and scholarships after the award was announced. “I got up there like, what school do you want to go to in the future?” Lindsay said, laughing at the fact no one assumed she was a freshman and years before graduation.
Lindsay will be flown out to Washington, D.C., at the end of this month for a ceremony on June 30. The trip will give her a chance to see her artwork displayed with pieces from around the country. Her family plans to travel with her and spend time visiting museums and historic sites. For Lindsay, she said, “I’m excited to go to the Holocaust Museum. I really like World War II.”
Her interest in history also connects back to Camus, who lived during World War II and was involved in resisting German occupation after moving to France. That mix of history, literature and emotion is part of what Lindsay wants her art to reflect. She said she likes art that carries meaning and believes human artists can put nuance and feeling into a piece in a way artificial intelligence cannot. “I like art to have meaning,” she said. “That’s something I like to have as a human artist, that I can put nuance and emotion into my art.”
Lindsay has been creating art for as long as she can remember. She said visual art is only one part of her creative life, with theater, orchestra and choir also part of her background. “I’ve been doing art my entire life,” she said. “I’ve always been doing creative stuff.” Recently, her favorite forms of art have been theater and painting. She also enjoys portraits and often draws cats.
In eighth grade, Lindsay created a rendition of one of Francisco Goya’s Black Paintings, though she said she avoided “Saturn Devouring His Son” because it was too graphic for school. Even with the national recognition, she does not currently plan to make art her main career. She said she hopes to become a doctor, though she said, “I will definitely keep that [art] passion alive no matter what career I go down.”
The honor has also brought more public attention than Lindsay expected. She was recognized by the Winslow City Council and has spoken about the award in class and at the ceremony. She joked that one of the unexpected parts of winning was realizing she now has to speak in public more often. However, “It was nice to be recognized by the city,” she said.
Lindsay is already thinking about entering the competition again next year. One idea she has considered is a painting inspired by “The School of Athens,” but set in the Oval Office with presidents gathered together. She may also have more opportunities to show her work locally, as she said La Posada has expressed interest in featuring some of her art, though details are still being worked out.
For now, Lindsay is preparing for the trip to Washington, D.C., where the “silly little guy” she painted in class will hang in one of the most recognizable buildings in the country.
