Each year, the Calgary Stampede draws attention from around the world, not only for the historic rodeo but also for the iconic poster created to promote the event. With the Stampede now celebrating its 113th year, the posters have become valuable, collectible pieces of art; for artists, having a piece be used for this promotion is a career milestone. In 2018, the Calgary Stampede started the Youth Poster Competition, which offers education and guidance to young artists and, for the winner, the opportunity to showcase their work on the official poster. This year’s piece, which features splashes of color and the fast-paced action of barrel racing, was created by 22-year-old Calgarian Elora Kiddle. Titled Grit to Greatness, the piece captures the combination of determination and grace required to succeed in rodeo. In addition to education, the Youth Poster competition offers significant scholarship funds with the first-place winner receiving $10,000 for future education, and the total funds equaling $20,000 each year.
Meet the Artist: Elora Kiddle
Elora Kiddle was born and raised in Calgary, Alberta, and has been attending the Calgary Stampede with her family for many years. Her first job was working in the Grandstand at the Stampede along with her twin sister Emily, who is now a trombonist with the Calgary Stampede Showband. The recent college graduate has also been painting and creating since she was young, and after learning about the Youth Poster Competition in high school, she applied to participate. “I had a great high school art teacher who encouraged me to apply,” Kiddle recalled.
Photo Courtesy of Elora Kiddle
This was her third year participating in the program, which began with 30 applicants aged 15-24; eight young artists were chosen for the final round. In the previous two years, Kiddle took advantage of the program’s education, making it into the top eight and furthering her skills as an artist. The third time was a charm, and her piece was chosen as the official poster. “This year was finally my year, and I was just so excited,” Kiddle said.
All applicants initially submit two pieces of work for consideration for the program. Once the top 30 are selected, they participate in educational opportunities and receive guidance from professional artists. Each participant creates a concept piece for the poster, and the top eight are selected for the final round. The idea for Kiddle’s winning poster came from a photo of Kellie Jorgensen on her horse Salty, competing at the Stampede in 2021. The photo caught Kiddle’s eye.
“She just looks so fierce on her horse,” she shared.
After being selected for the top eight, Kiddle started by drawing the base for her piece, which is 24 by 36 inches, and then completed it with acrylic paint, which is her favorite medium. A valuable part of the Youth Poster Competition is one-on-one guidance from professional artists; Kiddle’s mentor helped her fine-tune her painting, watching her work and offering advice on colors to add or proportions to adjust. “It was great to get actual critique from someone in person,” she said.
Photo Courtesy of Elora Kiddle
Kiddle explained that through working on pieces for the Youth Poster Competition, she has learned many skills. Getting the proportions of both people and animals right can be challenging, and her mentor helped her fine-tune this skill.
“My mentor challenged me to adjust the figure in my work — not to mimic the photo, but to trust my eye. They explained that cameras can warp perspective, and what feels true to life often differs from what’s captured through a lens. I would practice visualization and figuring out what I felt looked right,” Kiddle shared.
The 2025 poster is vibrant, with the dirt coming up behind the barrel horse depicted as splashes of color. Kiddle enjoys experimenting with bright colors, which acrylic lends itself to. Kiddle does commission work and will paint anything a customer wants. Much of her work is inspired by nature, which is vast and breathtaking outside her home city. She works as a graphic designer for a Calgary-based design firm, where she contributes to a variety of environmental and experiential projects. Her work often supports spaces like cities, airports and national parks, blending her love for travel, nature and visual storytelling. Kiddle shared that the Youth Poster Program’s value reaches beyond winning, and she encourages other young artists to apply. “I would say to go for it. You just have to push through, and there is no harm in trying,” Kiddle shared.
Empowering Young Artists
The Calgary Stampede’s Youth Poster Competition is a unique departure from how many large rodeos obtain their yearly poster. Susan Arthurs, Youth Education Programs Manager for the Calgary Stampede Foundation, shared that the program was founded in 2018 based on an idea Dana Peers had while serving as First Vice President for the Stampede.
“His vision was to bring a youth perspective to the way the Stampede is represented each year through the poster,”Arthurs explained.
Simply putting out a call for young artists to create the artwork was an option, but Peers wanted to think beyond that — the Calgary Stampede poster is sent throughout the world to collectors, and becomes an iconic piece of Western history — so he suggested an educational element and mentors to ensure that the final piece is of the same quality as a piece that would be commissioned from an experienced adult artist. Following the formation of an advisory committee, the program was launched and has been evolving ever since. Kiddle is the seventh young artist to be selected.
The scholarship monies awarded to the top competitors are through the Dustin Peers Memorial Scholarship, funded by the Brandon Flock Foundation. The winner receives $10,000, and the Brandon Flock Foundation also awards an additional $10,000 in scholarships across the competition, which is a total of $20,000 awarded annually to the top eight finalists.
Photo Courtesy of Elora Kiddle
Beyond mentorship and art education, the program also helps young people learn about the historic Stampede, as well as rodeo and agriculture. “This year, we organized a field trip for the participants to a ranch where they got to have an up-close and personal horse experience. There were bulls we were able to view. We also had a rodeo photographer come in and talk to them about tips and techniques for taking reference photos,” Arthurs shared.
The scholarship money can be used in a number of ways, from undergraduate art programs to study abroad trips. The funds can also be used for endeavors outside of the arts. “They could be doing pre-med,” Arthurs shared. “It’s very generous, and is one of the largest scholarships in Canada.”
Arthurs has enjoyed watching Kiddle advance through the competition.
“Her confidence grew, and that confidence, boldness and creativity is really what came through in her artwork for her to become the 2025 Poster Competition winner,” Arthurs commented.
The holistic vision of the Youth Poster Competition is something Arthurs values, too. “I really enjoy seeing people who come back year after year to participate in the competition with an open mind. They’d love to be the winner, of course, but they get so much more through their participation in the educational activities and the mentorship opportunities. You can’t put a dollar amount on the opportunity they have to work with professional artists,” Arthurs reflected.
To learn more about the Calgary Stampede’s Youth Poster competition, please visit calgarystampede.com/postercompetition.
