CALGARY — The 2027 Calgary Stampede's poster has been unveiled, appropriately called Best Seat in the House and created by Alberta artist Keagan George.The 23-year-old won the Calgary Stampede Youth Poster Competition, which provides youth aged 15 to 24 the opportunity to have their art exposed to the world stage, become the annual poster for the Calgary Stampede, and win one of Canada's largest art scholarships worth $10,000.The winning art depicts bull rider Hayes Weight, of Goshen, Utah, aboard Judge and Jury at the 2025 Calgary Stampede; Weight won the final day of Pool A with the same ride portrayed in the artwork."I wanted the bull’s head to command a large part of the poster and create that feeling of being close to the action," George said about the piece.."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. I hope people see it as thrilling, dramatic and full of action."George is a self-taught animal artist raised on homestead near Barrhead, AB.She had entered the Youth Poster Competition five times — advancing to the top 30 twice and the top eight twice before being selected as the 2027 Stampede Poster Artist.George began drawing animal images from feed store calendars, eventually finding better reference material by photographing calves and other animals around her family's homestead.Animals became her primary artistic focus, particularly cattle.."I was shocked — I truly wasn’t expecting it," stated George when she found out about the win."This was my favourite piece so far and the one I felt was most like a Stampede Poster.""When I first entered the competition, I didn’t really understand what made a strong poster. 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 now the ninth Alberta youth to be featured as the official Calgary Stampede poster since the competition began in 2018.
