Apache County student Chase Tuni wins AZ529 statewide art contest

Chase Tuni of Kin Dah Łichí'í School 'Ólta' was named one of 15 statewide winners in the AZ529 Future Career Art Contest, putting an Apache County student in a field that drew more than 500 art submissions across Arizona. The win gives local families a rare statewide recognition that ties student creativity directly to college savings.

The contest is built around Arizona’s Education Savings Plan, the state-sponsored 529 program that AZ529 says helps a parent, grandparent or future student save for educational expenses in a tax-advantaged account. AZ529 says those accounts can be opened for as little as $15 a month, a detail that makes the program relevant for families trying to plan ahead for college, trade school or other postsecondary costs.

For Chase Tuni, the recognition is more than an art prize. Earlier AZ529 contest winners received $529 toward an AZ529 Education Savings Plan, showing that the competition is designed to pair student artwork with a financial incentive for future schooling. Arizona Treasurer Kimberly Yee has launched and promoted earlier AZ529 Future Career Art Contests, making the program part of the state’s broader effort to connect financial literacy with education goals at an early age.

The statewide competition also puts Apache County students alongside peers from larger Arizona population centers. In a county where school and community news often stays local, one student from Kin Dah Łichí'í School 'Ólta' reaching the winner’s circle underscores the level of talent coming out of rural and Native communities. A related school story noted about 130 students filling the gym at Kin Dah Lichi'i Olta', a reminder that student recognition travels through a close-knit community.

AZ529’s focus on careers and saving matters because it gives families a concrete starting point, not just a slogan. The program’s statewide reach and recurring contests have made it one of the few Arizona initiatives that links classroom art to long-term education planning in a way children can see and families can use. Chase Tuni’s win puts that message in Apache County’s hands, with a local student at the center of it.