State Bar of Texas presents Law Day awards to Texas students

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 12, 2026

Contact: Lowell Brown
Associate Deputy Director, State Bar of Texas
512-427-1713
[email protected]

AUSTIN-Students from across the state took home awards today as winners of the 2026 Law Day contest, an annual competition hosted by the State Bar of Texas and Texas Young Lawyers Association (TYLA) that invites Texas students to submit essays, photographs, and posters that celebrate the rule of law. Supreme Court of Texas Justice Evan A. Young, State Bar Executive Director Trey Apffel, and TYLA President Alyson A. Martinez presented the awards to the students at the Texas Law Center. The winners also were honored by their local bar associations before advancing to the statewide competition.

This year's theme, "The Texas Constitution and the Rule of Law," encouraged students to reflect on how the Texas Constitution is an essential tool for the rule of law in Texas because it determines what authority belongs to the government, what rights are maintained by individual citizens, and how the balance of power will be maintained. This year is the 150th anniversary of the Texas Constitution of 1876, which is still in use today. The contest winners and their families heard a special address from Justice Young about the anniversary before being led on a tour of the Capitol complex. President Dwight D. Eisenhower established Law Day in 1958 to challenge Americans to understand how the rule of law impacts their lives and to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to participate in a democracy. The contest winners, their schools, and the organizations that nominated them appear below.

Editorial Contest

• First Place: Thomas Rios, Fox Tech High School (San Antonio Bar Association)

• Second Place: Adriana Bautista, Judge Barefoot Sanders Law Magnet (Dallas
  Bar Association)

• Third Place: Taryn Schutz, Whitehouse High School (Smith County Bar
  Association)

Photography Contest

• First Place: Ava Johnston, Fort Settlement Middle School (Katy Bar
  Association)

• Second Place: Aman Roy, Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science (Dallas
  Bar Association)

• Third Place: Gabriella Carranza, Annapolis Christian Academy (Corpus Christi
  Bar Association)

Poster Contest - Kindergarten to Second Grade

• First Place: Clara Hu, Greenhill School (Dallas Bar Association)

• Second Place: Vivienne Elhinn, Round Rock Christian Academy (Austin Bar
  Association)

• Third Place: James Hammond, The Brook Hill School (Smith County Bar
  Association)

Poster Contest - Third to Fifth Grade

• First Place: Emily Hu, Greenhill School (Dallas Bar Association)

• Second Place: Geissie Aguirre, Martin Weiss Elementary School (Dallas Bar
  Association)

• Third Place: Griffin Chapman, Doss Elementary School (Austin Bar
  Association)

Poster Contest - Sixth to Eighth Grade

• First Place: Jonah Wan, Mandarin Immersion Magnet School (Houston Bar
  Association)

• Second Place: Dae' Scott, Bedford Law Academy (Dallas Bar Association)

• Third Place: Ekaterina Miller, Gregory Portland Middle School (Corpus Christi
  Bar Association)

Poster Contest - Ninth to 12th Grade

• First Place: Giselle Aguirre, Kathlyn Joy Gilliam Collegiate Academy (Dallas Bar
  Association)

• Second Place: Steven Osorio, North Dallas High School (Dallas Bar
  Association)

• Third Place: Kinley Nurse, Johnson High School (Austin Bar Association)