Commissioner Buckingham Announces the Winner of the 27th Annual Treasures of the Texas Coast Children’s Art Contest

6th grade student, Lydia Ireland of San Antonio, chosen as grand prize winner

Contact: Kimberly Hubbard
(512) 936-9582
kimberly.hubbard@glo.texas.gov
PDF Version
PRESS RELEASE — Apr 14, 2023

AUSTIN — Today, Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham, M.D. announced Lydia Ireland of San Antonio as the grand prize winner of the 27th Annual Treasures of the Texas Coast Children’s Art Contest. Lydia is a 6th grade student at Dr. John M. Folks Middle School. She submitted a mixed media piece featuring sandhill cranes soaring over cattails alongside the Point Bolivar Lighthouse overlaid on a map of the Matagorda Bay area atop a beautiful backdrop of a cargo ship on tranquil gulf waters.


 
“Congratulations to Lydia on her incredible artwork that masterfully incorporated multiple elements of Texas’ historic coastline, said Commissioner Buckingham. “The wonderful artwork of all 40 finalists was created based on the theme of what makes the Texas coast important or special to each student, and it was truly inspiring to see the beautiful pieces this prompt encouraged young Texans to craft.”

Lydia will receive one 6–8-night Caribbean cruise for two from Royal Caribbean International departing out of Galveston, Miami, Tampa, Ft. Lauderdale, Port Canaveral, or Puerto Rico, two day passes to Six Flags Over Texas or Hurricane Harbor Arlington, and a copy of the book “The Big Beach Cleanup” by Charlotte Offsay.

The winning entries will be featured in the 2024 Adopt-A-Beach calendar. The 40 finalists will also receive two free tickets to Schlitterbahn, one free ticket to visit the USS Lexington, a coupon to visit the Texas State Aquarium, prizes from Texas Parks and Wildlife, prizes from Texas Adopt-A-Beach, a certificate of recognition from the Texas General Land Office, and copies of the 2024 calendar displaying the winning artwork.

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

The General Land office would like to thank our Art Contest sponsors who donated wonderful prizes for our students: Royal Caribbean International, Schlitterbahn, the USS Lexington, Six Flags Over Texas, the Texas State Aquarium, and author, Charlotte Offsay.

The Treasures of the Texas Coast Children’s Art Contest is held annually by the Texas General Land Office’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.
 
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