Writing Competition

The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo™ Trailblazer Committee is delighted to announce its 6^th Annual Writing Competition. Texas-area fourth graders are invited to submit an essay or poem about “My Golden Ticket Adventure.”

My Golden Ticket Adventure

One sunny afternoon, you discover a shimmering golden ticket tucked inside your backpack. It’s not just any ticket—it’s your all-access pass to the most spectacular event you have ever seen: The Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo!

But this ticket does more than get you a front-row seat—it lets you go behind the scenes to talk to the stars of the show, both human and animal! You hear their stories, learn their secrets, and explore all that the rodeo has to offer. Your ticket is only good for one day! Describe your adventure.

Here are some questions to help you brainstorm:

• Who are the most unforgettable rodeo stars, either human or animal, that you meet backstage?
• What Western traditions or talents do they share with you and what would you share with them?
• If you could join the show, what event would you compete in and how would you prepare?
• What moment during the rodeo makes the crowd cheer the loudest?
• How does your golden ticket adventure help you discover the heart of the Wild West?

Now Write your story!

Use your imagination to write an essay or poem about your Golden Ticket Adventure.

Entries may be submitted to our new Contest Portal beginning September 15, 2025. All submissions must be received by November 7, 2025. Please complete our entry form here to include with your submission. More information regarding our rules and regulations can be found here.  For more information please see our Resource Library. Winners will be announced on this page on January 23, 2026 and will be invited to a winners’ reception during the Houston Rodeo in March, 2026 to receive their trophy belt buckle.

The contest is open to Texas 4^th graders. Entries will be judged by committee volunteers in two, double blind rounds on the following criteria: Ideas, Organization, Voice, Sentence Fluency, Conventions and Presentations. Additional scoring resources are available in the contest portal.

After screening for artificial intelligence, top entries will be reviewed by an education panel to confirm they met all criteria for the competition prior to final judging. The final round of judging will be conducted by a panel of celebrity judges. The 2025 celebrity judges were Valerie Koehler, owner of Blue Willow Bookshop in Houston, TX; April Lopez, children’s book author and baker in Diboll, Texas; April M. Salazar children’s book author and podcaster, in Houston, TX; Katie McGee, New York Times best-selling Young Adult author, in Houston, TX and Trent Willmon, Texas born singer-songwriter and CMA award-winning producer.

Read the 2025 essay entries here and poetry entries here.