PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) – Congratulations to the winners of the AZ529 Future Careers Art Contest! Children in kindergarten through 5th grade across the state were invited to create a drawing of their dream job and enter it in a contest sponsored by AZ529 and the Arizona State Treasurer’s Office. From more than 200 submissions, 12 applicants were chosen Wednesday morning to win an AZ529 college savings account worth $529. The amount was chosen to honor Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code, which created the AZ529 plan. AZ529 is a college savings plan available to any Arizona parent who wants to save money in a tax-deferred account for their child’s college education.
Tuba City boarding school student Olivia Walters said she was “shocked” to be chosen as the winner. “I drew myself looking at the Empire State Building next to me because I want to go to art school in New York,” Walters said. “I can’t believe I won among a lot of people in this state.”
Walters said her parents first told her she was one of the winners. “I’m a little dubious with my art. I don’t really show it to a lot of people, and sometimes when I do it makes me nervous because I’m trying to think about what they think of my art. So when I heard that, I was surprised.
Arizona Treasurer Kimberly Yee said the savings plan had more than 19,000 accounts created in the past 19 months. “We grew that number by 14.8% over the same period to $1.86 billion,” Yee said. “Today’s winners represent all areas of Arizona in 7 different cities, 10 different districts, charter schools and home schools, and show the true diversity of this wonderful program.”
Each winner received a certificate of achievement from Yee and had their photo taken with an oversized check for $529. If you want to know more about the AZ529 program, Click here.
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