When the 2027 Calgary Stampede Poster is unveiled this October, it will arrive as a finished image. What the reveal won’t show is the 18 months of training behind it — or the 30 young artists who went through the Stampede Youth Poster Competition together.
Since 2018, artists aged 15 to 24 from across Alberta have been invited to take part in a program that combines competition, mentorship and hands-on learning. The Dustin Peers Memorial Scholarship, generously 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, making it one of Canada’s largest art scholarships.
“Everyone wants to win the title of Stampede Poster Artist and receive a scholarship, but there’s so much value in the program that is financially immeasurable,” says Susan Arthurs, Youth Education Programs Manager for the Calgary Stampede Foundation. “From the education and mentorship to getting to know the Calgary Stampede community, this program is more than just a competition.”
Beginning in January, invited artists learn about the Stampede, how to interpret a client brief and how to pitch creative concepts. Masterclass workshops give them opportunities to work alongside professional artists and explore techniques they may incorporate into their submissions.
Artists then pitch two or three concepts to an evaluation panel, receive feedback and select one direction to develop with the support of an art mentor. The program also gives artists opportunities to learn about the people and traditions they may choose to depict.
“The Youth Poster Competition helped me grow as an artist through Doug Levitt’s mentorship,” says Dayna Loepp, the artist behind the 2026 Stampede Poster. “The program introduced me to Tyrone Sitting Eagle and his family. Getting to know Tyrone and learning about his dances gave me a deeper understanding of what I was depicting and shaped the way I approached both my piece and my creative practice as a whole.”
Along the way, the participants also learn how the winning image must work not only as a piece of art, but across applications ranging from belt buckles to truck decals. One artwork will ultimately become the next Calgary Stampede Poster, but every participant leaves with new skills, experience and perspective.
Stay tuned as we get ready to unveil one young artist’s work as the official 2027 Calgary Stampede Poster early this October! Then it’s the next group’s turn: applications for the 2028 Stampede Youth Poster Competition open that same month. Alberta artists aged 15 to 24 are invited to learn more about the competition here and start imagining what they might create.
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