Alberta artist Keagan George wins Calgary Stampede 2027 poster competition
The 23-year-old from Barrhead created 'Best Seat in the House,' depicting a bull ride from the 2025 Stampede.
CALGARY — A 23-year-old Alberta artist has won the Calgary Stampede's youth poster competition, with her painting of a bull ride selected as the official artwork for the 2027 event.
Keagan George of Barrhead created the winning piece, titled "Best Seat in the House," which was unveiled at the Nutrien Western Event Centre on Monday.
"I was shocked. I truly wasn’t expecting it," said George of learning her artwork had been selected. "This was my favourite piece so far and the one I felt was most like a Stampede poster."
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The artwork depicts American bull rider Hayes Weight of Goshen, Utah, aboard the bull Judge and Jury during the 2025 Calgary Stampede Rodeo. The moment captured was Weight's winning ride on the final day of Pool A, which earned him a spot on Championship Sunday.
"What drew me to this image was the action," said George. "I tried to capture some of that excitement and movement ... in my own style."
She said she made the bull's head command a large portion of the work to create a feeling of being close to the action, and painted the fringe of Weight's chaps red to connect the piece to the Stampede's signature colour.
Cherie Copithorne-Barnes, first vice-chair of the board at the Calgary Stampede, praised the work.
"You know, it was a really tough competition. There are some incredible artists out there, but I gotta tell ya, as a rancher, I’ve been this close to a bull before and for someone who’s only been painting for five years or less, she’s captured this perfectly," said Copithorne-Barnes.
"Keagan George’s artwork captures the energy, courage and extraordinary athleticism that make the Calgary Stampede Rodeo unlike anything else."
The 2027 competition marked George's fifth attempt. She had previously reached the top 30 twice and the top eight twice before securing the win this year.
"When I first entered the competition, I didn’t really understand what made a strong poster," George said. "Over the years, I learned from the workshops, the mentors’ feedback and the winning artwork that came before mine, and I built on that with each new piece."
George is a self-taught artist who grew up on a homestead near Barrhead. She began drawing animals using photos from feed store calendars before turning to her own photography of animals around her family’s property as reference material.
As the winner, George receives a $10,000 portion of the Dustin Peers Memorial Scholarship, which is funded by the Brandon Flock Foundation. The scholarship awards $20,000 in total to the top eight entrants, making it one of the largest art scholarship programs in the country.
The Stampede received 110 submissions for this year's poster competition, according to Copithorne-Barnes.
George becomes the ninth Alberta youth artist to have their work featured on the official Calgary Stampede poster since the Youth Poster Competition was launched in 2018.
The 2027 Calgary Stampede will take place July 9 to 18. Ticket sales for the event are now open.
The Calgary Stampede is also now accepting applications for the 2028 Youth Poster Competition. Alberta artists between the ages of 15 and 24 can apply until Dec. 4, 2026.
With files from CityNews, CBC News and Calgary Herald