The iconic 35-foot seahorse driftwood sculpture in front of the Ocean Shores Convention Center now has a name chosen by an elementary school student — Stix.

The winning entry was suggested by Brooklyn Reither, 8, in the second grade at Ocean Shores Elementary School. In her essay, Brooklyn suggested Stix “because it’s made with sticks, also made for Ocean Shores and the sticks are from the beach.”

In a contest sponsored by the Ocean Shores Fresh Waterways Corp., Ocean Shores Elementary students were asked to suggest a name and write an essay about it.

The other runners-up were Oceanise, suggested by Austyn Capoeman, 9, and Catania, suggested by Ava Gaines, 8.

Members of the City Council, the Fresh Waterways Corp., and the students gathered for a naming celebration on Sunday, where all three essays were read.

Ava suggested Catania because “that’s where I was born. Catania is the capital of Sicily, which is in Italy. Catania means to me peace, sweet and happiness.”

Austyn suggested Oceanise because “that is more of an ocean name. It also means ‘beautiful star of the ocean’ in Hawaiian.”

The newly named Stix was created as part of a public art project spearheaded by local artist Judy Horn and Elbe sculpture artist Dan Klennert in the summer of 2014.

The first creation was damaged when its base snapped during a wind storm in 2016, but it was repaired by Klennert and replaced along Chance a la Mer with the structure that now has become a favorite photo spot in town.

Brooklyn, Austyn and Ava all won gift certificates from the Ocean Shores Fresh Waterways Corp., with the winning name earning a certificate worth $100.