After losing a previous competition, artist Clara Wu (11) took first place in the Congressional Institute’s Art Competition on May 4. The award came with round trip tickets to Washington, D.C. and a scholarship.

The drawing took two-and-a-half months to complete and was made with a white colored pencil and black paper.

“I was honestly really proud of my drawing when I completed it,” Wu said. “However, I personally couldn’t see how good it was.”

When Wu heard her name called for the top prize in the first district, she was surprised and humbled.

“It just felt so surreal,” she said. “It was as if all my hard work paid off.”