The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality announced on Apr. 17 the winners of its annual Take Care of Texas Kids Art Contest, recognizing elementary students for artwork focused on water conservation and cleanliness.
The contest encourages young Texans to express ways to protect the environment through art, highlighting the importance of public participation in keeping air and water clean across the state. The initiative is part of a broader campaign to promote environmental stewardship among all residents.
This year, more than 2,500 entries were submitted by students from kindergarten through fifth grade. Three first-place winners—one from each age category—will receive new laptops for their drawings: Ivy Seelbach (Kindergarten, Spring Valley Methodist, Dallas), Phaedra Casto (3rd Grade, Freedom Elementary, Ft. Worth), and Aayush Nirmal (5th Grade, Carroll Elementary, Frisco). Runners-up Rolando Garavito (1st Grade), Sophia Gonzales (2nd Grade), and Yueran Lang (5th Grade) will each receive an iPad. Andrea Day, an elementary teacher from Corpus Christi selected at random as this year’s winning teacher, will also be awarded an iPad or a gift card.
The winning artwork can be viewed on the Take Care of Texas website. All prizes have been provided by contest sponsor Texas Chemistry Council. Each first-place student will be recognized at the upcoming Texas Environmental Excellence Awards banquet in Austin this June.
Take Care of Texas is a statewide campaign led by the commission that offers information about environmental protection efforts and encourages actions such as conserving water and energy or reducing waste. The agency itself was established in 1993 and serves as the state’s main environmental regulator with about 2,800 employees according to its official website. Its mission includes safeguarding public health and natural resources while supporting sustainable economic growth throughout all communities in Texas according to its official website.
The department operates under three commissioners appointed by the governor according to its official website, with headquarters in Austin and 16 regional offices across Texas according to its official website. It extends services statewide with regulatory programs for air quality improvement, water protection initiatives, waste management strategies and permitting processes according to its official website.
