Tucson, Ariz. – Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva today congratulated Yamayra Castaños, the winner of this year’s Congressional Art Competition for Arizona’s Seventh Congressional District, and runner-up Daniel Ortega at an event at his Tucson district office. Yamayra is a senior at San Luis High School and Daniel is a junior at the Arizona Schools for the Deaf and the Blind. Yamayra lives in San Luis and could not attend in person.

Rep. Grijalva met Daniel and congratulated him with his family and teachers in attendance. You can view pictures of the event at Rep. Grijalva’s online picture gallery at http://grijalva.house.gov/photo-album/.

Yamayra’s winning piece, “Cuento de Abuela,” will hang in the Cannon House Office building in Washington, D.C., for the next year alongside the winners from other Congressional districts.

“This competition is about education and the value of hard work, but it’s also about recognizing talent and nurturing it for the future,” Grijalva said. “Ms. Castaños and the other terrific students I’ve met through this competition deserve our recognition, our congratulations and our encouragement. I’m proud to have met them and hope to see them pursue their talents in the years ahead.”

On her entry form, Ms. Castaños described her piece as “a painting of my grandmother, Maria Cruz Quintero, picking lettuce in the fields surrounding Yuma, Arizona. Her image seems to disappear into the land because one day her life will be ‘Grandma’s Tale’ to my children.”

Southwest Airlines will present her with two complimentary tickets to Washington, D.C., to see the winning artwork display. More information about the competition is available at Rep. Grijalva’s website at http://grijalva.house.gov/congressional-art-competition/.