A 23-year-old Alberta artist has been selected as the 2027 Calgary Stampede Poster Artist after participating in the youth poster competition five times.
The Stampede unveiled Keagan George’s Best Seat in the House on Oct. 5.
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The artwork depicts bull rider Hayes Weight of Goshen, Utah, aboard Judge and Jury during the 2025 Calgary Stampede Rodeo.
Weight won the final day of Pool A with the ride featured in George’s artwork, earning a place on Championship Sunday.
“I was shocked — I truly wasn’t expecting it,” George said of finding out she had won. “This was my favourite piece so far and the one I felt was most like a Stampede Poster.”
Five tries at the Stampede poster
During her five years participating in the competition, George advanced to the top 30 twice and the top eight twice before being selected as the 2027 poster artist.
“When I first entered the competition, I didn’t really understand what made a strong poster,” she 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 animal artist who grew up on a homestead near Barrhead.
She first drew animals using images from feed store calendars. Wanting better reference material, she later began photographing calves and other animals around her family’s homestead.
Her work continues to focus predominantly on animals, particularly cattle.
Bringing viewers close to the action
George said she wanted the artwork to capture the feeling of being close to the rodeo action.
“I wanted the bull’s head to command a large part of the Poster and create that feeling of being close to the action,” she said.
“The crowd in the background shows the scale of the Rodeo, while the movement of the bull, rider and chaps builds anticipation. I made the fringe on the chaps red because it’s eye-catching and connects the piece to the Calgary Stampede.”
George becomes the ninth Alberta youth to have artwork featured on the official Calgary Stampede poster since the Youth Poster Competition began in 2018.
Applications open for 2028
The Dustin Peers Memorial Scholarship, funded by the Brandon Flock Foundation, awards $20,000 in educational scholarships annually to the competition’s top eight finalists, including $10,000 to the first-place winner.
Applications for the 2028 Calgary Stampede Youth Poster Competition are now open to Alberta artists aged 15 to 24.
The application deadline is Dec. 4, 2026.
The 2027 Calgary Stampede runs July 9 to 18. Tickets for the Calgary Stampede Rodeo and Evening Show went on sale Oct. 5.
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