On April 28, Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham, M.D., announced Katy fifth grader Michael Li of Katy as the grand prize winner of the 30th Annual Treasures of the Texas Coast Children’s Art Contest. This year, the contest received over 1,300 entries, leaving judges with the difficult task of narrowing the candidates down to 40 winners.

Michael's artwork is a detailed mixed-media piece featuring an orange puffer fish wearing a cowboy hat, embellished with a Texas banner against a beautiful backdrop of waves. Michael’s school was listed as the Enya Studio.

The grand-prize runner-up is fifth-grader Chelsea Lin from Katy, who depicted a colorful spiral seashell. Chelsea’s school was listed as the Awty International School in Houston.

Other Katy fifth graders competing in the contest included Katherine Yang of Jenks Elementary, Iris Huang of the Enya Studio, and Siyu Zheng and Mona Wu, both of whom attend the Freemind Art Studio.

"As a Texan who spent over a decade living on our coast and a mom, it is an honor to experience the beautiful artwork created by Texas students who love our beaches and marine wildlife and want to express their enthusiasm through Adopt-A-Beach's beloved art contest," said Commissioner Buckingham. "For 30 years, the GLO's Adopt-A-Beach children's art contest has asked students to share why the Texas coast is important to them. With each piece of artwork created, this incredible program has helped ensure a brighter future for our coast and the people and wildlife that call it home. I thank all of the teachers and students who participated this year and look forward to next year's contest."

Michael will receive a six- to eight-night Caribbean cruise for two from Royal Caribbean International and a family-level annual pass to the Houston Museum of Natural Science.

All winning artwork will appear in the 2027 Adopt-A-Beach calendar, which will be distributed throughout the state. The 40 student winners will receive two tickets to Schlitterbahn, a gift card to an arts-and-crafts store, a gift from Adopt-A-Beach, a certificate of recognition from the Texas General Land Office, and copies of the 2027 calendar featuring their winning artwork.

Students receiving an Honorable Mention designation will receive a certificate of appreciation from the Texas General Land Office and a gift from Texas Adopt-A-Beach. The Grand Prize Runner-Up will receive an additional prize from Adopt-A-Beach. All prize packages will be mailed out in May.