Kinkaid’s Sophie Zhou Named Grand Champion at Houston Rodeo Art Competition

In a sea of nearly 200,000 participating students, one young artist’s vision stood above the rest.

On Feb. 16, junior Sophie Zhou emerged victorious as the sole Grand Champion of the 2025 Houston Rodeo School Art Competition. Hailing from The Kinkaid School, Zhou earned the prestigious prize by bringing her piece Nurture to life with the flick of a brushstroke. 

“I started the painting in May, and I worked on it until the very last minute,” Zhou said. Since then, the amalgamation of oil and acrylic took form into the most celebrated artwork of the 2025 Houston Rodeo. 

Arguably the city’s biggest annual event, the Houston Rodeo is widely known as a cultural staple that celebrates Western spirit. Though often associated with cowboy boots or the petting zoo, the Rodeo is a notable supporter of youth education, particularly in the arts. 

Their annual art competition, which showcases talent from public and private schools across the Houston area, saw thousands of submissions this year. After a rigorous judging process, only 90 works were chosen for the final auction. 

Zhou’s piece, deemed the best of the best, is to be displayed during the 2025 Houston Rodeo in the Hayloft Gallery at NRG Center.

 “I’ve been telling everyone it feels surreal, like a dream,” Zhou said. “Even though I’m proud of my painting and all of the hard work I put in, it’s a whole different feeling to hear that the judges thought I deserved Grand Champion.”

Zhou’s Nurture depicts a touching likeness of a mother cow protecting her young. “They’re both bathed in the light,” said Zhou, “as the mother is leaning over, tending to her calf.” 

The nuzzling mother and calf will be brought to life in the traditional Livestock Show, observed by countless eager rodeo attendees. “As soon as I saw the reference photo, I knew I wanted to capture that moment,” Zhou said. “Seeing the nurturing, loving relationship of mother and child made me so happy. I wanted to paint that so other people would feel the way I felt.”

Zhou’s artistic prowess is evident. The calf, nestled within a soft bed of hay, rests in a pool of light. The mother nudges her calf towards the warmth, almost as if protection has been lent from mother to child. “That’s why the name Nurture fits so well,” she said.

Sophie Zhou in 2024, posing with her entry for the Rodeo Art Competition from last year.

The path to Nurture’s outstanding success was encouraged by Zhou’s artistic mentors at The Kinkaid School. “Originally, the name was something like Nurtured with Love,” Zhou said. “But my former teacher Ms. McMillan and I agreed it was too wordy, and it didn’t get the point across well enough. So we changed it to just Nurture, and it was the best decision ever.”

Zhou’s passion for art is undeniable. During her freshman year at The Kinkaid School, she took two semesters of art classes. After her first year of high school, however, it became increasingly evident that her demanding debate schedule meant that she could no longer continue her elective art courses at Kinkaid.

But Kinkaid art teacher Nancy McMillan saw Zhou’s promise and potential. In her eyes, there was no reason why Zhou should put aside her passion for art outside of school. “Ms. McMillan is so sweet and supportive,” Zhou said. “When I enter any art competition, she’s more than happy to put her name down as my teacher. It makes me so happy that I can still show what shaped me into the artist I am, as a Kinkaid student with a Kinkaid mentor.”

Even with her mentor’s encouragement and support, Zhou could never prepare for the culminating moment that all student artists dreamed of. “I was out of town at a debate tournament,” Zhou said, “and my friend FaceTimed me from the award ceremony. All she said was, Sophie, you won Grand Champion. And I said no, you’re joking!” 

Zhou grinned, remembering the excitement. “Next thing I know, my friend flipped her camera and there was my painting at the front, with the Grand Champion ribbon on it.”

Among the remaining 89 selected pieces, Nurture will be up for auction on March 16 in the NRG Arena. The event attracts dedicated youth arts supporters, many of whom have been loyal donors for decades.

Past Grand Champion works have fetched record-breaking bids, and expectations are high for Zhou’s piece. At last year’s auction, the Grand Champion’s piece brought in $275,000.

“Last year, I was just fully admiring the talent of the people who got Grand Champion and Reserve Grand Champion. I just kept thinking, wow, they’re so cool!” laughed Zhou. “It’s insane to think that’s me this year, that I’m the one who somehow made something that a donor will bid so much on.”

Much of the proceeds will fund four-year scholarships for graduating Texan high schoolers. 

Zhou’s plan for the future? Even if she doesn’t follow a career in art, it will never cease to be a passion of hers. “No matter what I pursue, I always see myself continuing painting on the side,” she said. “I might even sell artwork in the future, we’ll see. That could be fun,” Zhou laughed.

Editor's note: Sophie was also featured in in Works of Rodeo Art: Talented students honored for their art pieces by Karen Vine Fuller, which appeared in our March 2024 issue.