PRESS RELEASE from 2012 Republican National Convention via PRNewswire TAMPA, Fla., March 19, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Local students who have an artistic flair will get a chance to display their work to thousands of visitors attending this year's Republican National Convention in Tampa.

The 2012 Republican National Convention is now accepting entries for its "Elephants on Parade" art competition.  The competition is open to middle and high school students throughout the Tampa Bay area.  Participants must submit a project that answers the question: what does being an American mean to me?

All qualifying works of art will be displayed in the Tampa Bay Times Forum, which will host the convention August 27-30. The top five finalists will also receive a private tour of the Times Forum and the Tampa Convention Center, where an expected 15,000 credentialed media will be based for the convention.

The first-place recipient will be awarded an opportunity to witness history with a pair of tickets to the Republican presidential nominee's acceptance speech.  Their winning entry also will be displayed in the nominee's private suite in the Times Forum.

"This art competition is a way to involve and embrace the young artists in our community," said convention CEO William Harris. "Children are the next generation of Americans, and it is important that we encourage and laud their patriotism. I look forward to reviewing the submissions for the competition personally."

Entry packets for the "Elephants on Parade'' competition will be sent to some 250 middle and high schools throughout the Tampa Bay area. Details about the competition, which has a July 6 submission deadline, also are available on the convention website, www.GOPConvention2012.com.

Each two-dimensional, framed entry must be original in concept, design and execution and may not violate any U.S. copyright laws. Any entry that has been copied from an existing photo (except the student's own), painting, graphic, advertisement or any other work produced by another person is a violation of the competition rules and will not be accepted. Entries must be in the original medium (that is, not a scanned reproduction of a painting or drawing).

About the 2012 Republican National Convention
The 2012 Republican National Convention will be held at the Tampa Bay Times Forum August 27-30, 2012.  Nearly 50,000 visitors are expected to come to the Tampa Bay area for the event, including delegates, alternate delegates, media and other guests.  For more information about the 2012 Republican National Convention, please visit www.GOPConvention2012.com, follow us on Twitter, @GOPconvention, or "Like" us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/GOPconvention.