Florida Department of Environmental Protection
05/01/2026 | Press release | Archived content
DEP Highlights Student Art in Celebration of Earth Month 2026
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 1, 2026
CONTACT: DEP Press Office, 850-245-2112, [email protected]
DEP Highlights Student Art in Celebration of
Earth Month 2026
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - In celebration of Earth Month, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) hosted a statewide poster contest for students in grades 4-12, inviting them to showcase their creativity and explore Florida's environment through art.
This year's theme, "See the Seafloor: Discover Florida Beneath the Waves," highlighted the Florida Seafloor Mapping Initiative, a statewide effort to create complete, modern, high-resolution maps of Florida's coastal seafloor. Through this initiative, scientists use advanced tools such as sonar and LiDAR to better understand underwater landscapes, marine habitats and geological features that help guide coastal protection and planning.
A finalist from each of the three grade-level categories (grades 4-5, 6-8 and 9-12) was selected from each of DEP's six district offices. These finalists' posters were then reviewed by DEP staff in Tallahassee, where one statewide winner was selected for each category.
"The creativity and thoughtfulness shown by these students reflect a strong connection to Florida's environment," said DEP Secretary Alexis A. Lambert. "Their artwork captures the importance of understanding and protecting our natural resources. Congratulations to this year's winners and thank you to all who participated!"
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Grades 4-5 State Winner
Shakhina, Grade 5 "Life Beneath the Waves" |
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Grades 6-8 State Winner
Jacqueline, Grade 8 "Mapping Our Underwater Utopia" |
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Grades 9-12 State Winner
Ewanteke, Grade 12 "See the Sea" |
While Earth Day is celebrated annually on April 22, DEP continues its work year-round to protect Florida's air, water and land.
Visit the Earth Day 2026 webpage to learn more and find ways to help protect Florida's natural resources.
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Florida Department of Environmental Protection published this content on May 01, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on May 04, 2026 at 17:15 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]