Every year, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo’s student art auction raises hundreds of thousands of dollars for educational programs and scholarships.
This year, 90 student artworks were auctioned, including the Grand Champion and Reserve Grand Champion pieces. This year’s Grand Champion piece auctioned for $525,000, nearly doubling the previous year’s rodeo record.
Students receive a guaranteed premium of up to $40,000 from the auction for their art. The rest supports the rodeo’s educational programs and student scholarships.
Here are the ten highest-auctioned pieces at the student art auction in rodeo history:
RODEO ART AUCTION: Pasadena ISD student sells grand champion artwork for record $525K
“Between Boots and Moccasins”, $525,000
Pasadena ISD senior Joshua Washington raised $525,000 for his grand championship artwork in 2026. (Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo)
Pasadena ISD student Joshua Washington’s grand champion painting, “Between Boots and Moccasins,” sold at auction for $525,000 this year, nearly doubling the previous record.
The senior at Pasadena Memorial High School said bringing together two people from different backgrounds could inspire multiple interpretations and serve as a symbol for the rodeo.
“Head On”, $300,000
Clements High School senior Mingyi Li’s reserve championship artwok also broke a rodeo record with a bid for $300,000. (Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo)
This year’s Reserve Grand Champion also broke a rodeo record, selling for $300,000 – the second-highest bid in rodeo history.
Mingyi Li, a senior at Clements High School in Fort Bend ISD, said she and her friends often travel to a ranch together to take photos, and this year, two cows charged through a cloud of dust and caught her eye.
“Nurture”, $276,000
Sophie Zhou’s grand championship piece “Nurture” earned a rodeo record of $276,000 in 2025. (Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo)
In 2025, Grand Champion Sophie Zhou broke multiple barriers with her piece, breaking a previous rodeo record and becoming the first private school student to win the rodeo’s art contest.
Zhou, then a junior at The Kinkaid School, said she was inspired by a photo her dad took of a mother cow tending to her baby calf. She said she wanted to display the “absolutely beautiful” lighting in her artwork.
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“Warriors of the Great Spirit”, $275,000
2024 grand champion Eliza Hoffman broke a rodeo record for her piece, “Warriors of the Great Spirit.” (Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo)
2024 Grand Champion Eliza Hoffman channeled Native American culture in Western art with “Warriors of the Great Spirit.” The former Clear Creek ISD senior said a book on the Lakota inspired the title for her piece, and the two models for her painting taught her more about Indigenous culture.
“Our Last Roundup,” $275,000
Mia Huckman’s piece “Our Last Roundup” earned a grand championship title in 2023. (Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo)
Former Lamar CISD student Mia Huckman broke two consecutive records at the rodeo. Her 2022 piece “Partners in Time” earned a Reserve Grand Championship title. The next year, in 2023, she won the Grand Championship with “Our Last Roundup,” which sold for $275,000 at auction.
“Partners in Time,” $265,000
Mia Huckman’s reserve grand championship piece, “Partners in Time,” auctioned for $265,000 in 2022 – $44,000 more than the previous reserve grand champion record. (Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo)
Huckman’s Reserve Grand Championship piece, “Partners in Time,” auctioned for $265,000 in 2022 – $44,000 more than the previous Reserve Grand Champion record.
RODEO WINNERS: See all the winners of the 2026 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo’s student art awards
“In His Hands,” $250,000
Gracin Nguyen’s grand champion piece “In His Hands” surpassed previous rodeo records in 2022. (Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo)
The Grand Champion piece “In His Hands” broke rodeo records in 2022. The artwork, which shows a bull rider kneeling behind the chutes to pray, put Dawson High School student Gracin Nguyen’s faith on center stage.
“After the Storm Comes a Calm”, $240,000
Hector Maldonado’s “After the Storm Comes a Calm” broke a rodeo record in 2019. (Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo)
Hector Maldonado’s “After the Storm Comes a Calm” broke a rodeo record in 2019. The colored pencil drawing depicted the back of a cowboy wearing colorful chaps. He sits on the fence of a holding pen, presumably after finishing a competition.
“Night at the Arena”, $200,000
2025 reserve grand champion Joy Park’s artwork, “A Night at the Arena,” auctioned for $200,000. (Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo)
In 2025, Reserve Grand Champion Joy Park based her oil painting on a photo she took at a San Antonio rodeo. The former Fort Bend ISD senior’s work shows a cowboy swinging a lasso on horseback.
“Consistent Companion”, $200,000
Sion Joo took home the title of reserve grand champion for her painting, “Consistent Companion,” in 2024. (Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo)
Sion Joo of Pearland ISD won the 2024 Reserve Grand Champion for her painting, “Consistent Companion.” It features a man with his dog, and Joo said she wanted to capture the devotion a pet has for its owner in the piece.
This article originally published at Here are the 10 highest-selling student art auction winners in Houston rodeo history.
