Austin — Today, Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush announced Celina Gao of Katy as the overall winner of the 2022 Annual Adopt-A-Beach “Treasures of the Coast” art contest. Celina, a 6th grade student at Freemind Art Studio, submitted a postcard-style piece featuring a collage of various marine life species and coastal activities.

“Congratulations Celina on your creative artwork that showcases some of the many reasons we cherish the Texas coast,” said Commissioner Bush. “I also want to congratulate this year’s top 40 students on their impressive work and thank the more than 1,600 students who participated.”

In total, 1,641 students submitted artwork for this year’s contest. The top 40 winners will have their artwork displayed at the Bob Bullock Museum in Austin from May 24 through June 5. The museum will host a “Free First Sunday” on June 5 where the public can see the artwork and the rest of the museum free of charge. The winning entries will also be featured in the 2023 Adopt-A-Beach calendar.

Celina will receive one 6–8 night Caribbean cruise for two courtesy of Royal Caribbean International. She will also receive two round-trip coach-class tickets from United Airlines to any destination in the 48 contiguous United States, Alaska, Canada, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. Celina’s art teacher will also receive one 6–8-night Caribbean cruise and two round-trip, coach-class tickets from United Airlines.

All top 40 winners will receive two Schlitterbahn tickets valid at either the New Braunfels or Galveston locations, one ticket to the Houston Zoo, one ticket to the Texas State Aquarium, one ticket to the USS Lexington, an Adopt-A-Beach prize, a certificate of recognition from the Texas General Land Office (GLO), and copies of the 2023 calendar showcasing their winning artwork.

A full list of winners and digital copies of the winning artwork can be found here.

The artwork contest is held annually by the GLO’s Adopt-A-Beach program—a volunteer-based program dedicated to preserving and protecting Texas beaches. To learn more about the program and for upcoming events, visit TexasAdoptABeach.org.