AUSTIN - The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality is proud to announce the 2025 Take Care of Texas video contest winners.

Every year, students from across the state grab their video equipment to compete in the annual contest, creating entertaining and compelling content that highlights various ways to keep Texas' air clean, reduce waste, and conserve water and energy. This year, 537 entries were submitted, and the field was narrowed down to 12 finalists - 6 from high school and 6 from middle school. After the public were given the chance to vote to narrow down the selection, TCEQ commissioners, executive staff, and representatives from the contest sponsor, Waste Management of Texas, Inc., reviewed the finalists and voted to determine the first, second, and third-place winners.

The following students were selected as winners:

High School (9th - 12th Grade)

1st Place: $2,500 scholarship
Joshua Burgos Rivera, 12th grade, Liberty Hill High School, Liberty Hill, TX

2nd Place: $1,500 scholarship
Segiv Eldridge, 10th grade, Salado High School, Salado, TX

3rd Place: $500 scholarship
Martin Lopez, 10th grade, Transmountain Early College High School, El Paso, TX

Middle School (6th - 8th Grade)

1st Place: $800 gift card toward camera equipment
Andrew Pierce, 8th grade, Hudson Bend Middle School, Austin, TX

2nd Place: $600 gift card toward camera equipment
Madelyn Franks, 7th grade, Straus Middle School, San Antonio, TX

3rd Place: $400 gift card toward camera equipment
Dahae Kim, 7th grade, Folks Middle School, San Antonio, TX

To view the winning videos or learn more about the contest, visit the Take Care of Texas video contest page.

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.