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TCEQ announces Art Contest winners

April 17, 2026 - Three Texas elementary students win the Take Care of Texas Art Contest

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Laura Lopez

Phone: 512-239-5000

Email: 512-239-5000

Each year, students from kindergarten through fifth grade are challenged to create a picture that represents how they Take Care of Texas with the theme for the year.

With more than 2,500 entries in the Take Care of Texas Kids Art Contest, three students will be taking home new laptops for their winning drawings that show ways to conserve or keep the water clean.  

The following students were selected as winners:

K-1st Grade: Ivy Seelbach, Kindergarten, Spring Valley Methodist, Dallas    

2nd-3rd Grade: Phaedra Casto, 3rd Grade, Freedom Elementary, Ft. Worth  

4th-5th Grade: Aayush Nirmal, 5th Grade, Carroll Elementary, Frisco  

Below are the runners-up for each category. These students will receive an iPad.

K-1st Grade: Rolando Garavito, 1st Grade, IDEA Pharr Academy, Pharr  

2nd-3rd Grade: Sophia Gonzales, 2nd Grade, IDEA Pharr Academy, Pharr

4th-5th Grade: Yueran Lang, 5th Grade, Baldwin Elementary, Austin  

Andrea Day, an elementary teacher from Corpus Christi, was randomly selected as this year’s winning teacher. She will also receive an iPad or a gift card of equal value.

The artwork done by these six students can all be seen on the Take Care of Texas website. The prizes for the students and teacher have been provided by the contest sponsor, Texas Chemistry Council.

Each first-place winner will be recognized at the Texas Environmental Excellence Awards banquet in Austin, Texas, this June. 

Take Care of Texas is a statewide campaign from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality that provides helpful information on Texas’ successes in environmental protection and encourages all Texans to help keep our air and water clean, conserve water and energy, and reduce waste.