Winners of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo’s 2026 Quilt Contest were announced today. The award-winning quilts will be displayed in NRG Center throughout the 2026 Rodeo, scheduled March 2–22.
“These award-winning quilts are true works of art,” said Chris Boleman, president and CEO of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. “We look forward to welcoming guests to NRG Center to experience the remarkable skill and creativity that make this competition such a meaningful part of our annual celebration.”
The annual Quilt Contest recognizes exceptional craftsmanship across adult and youth divisions, highlighting traditional and modern quilting techniques from artists across Texas and beyond.
2026 QUILT CONTEST WINNERS
ADULT DIVISION
Best of Show
Ann Moore — “The Pollinators”
Best of Division
Hand Quilted: Katherine Dossman — “Tx Flowers”
Machine Quilted: Ann Moore — “The Pollinators”
Best of Category
Hand Quilted, Applique: Linda Weeks — “Baltimore Halloween”
Hand Quilted, Pieced: Ziana Boudria, quiltmaker, and 12 volunteers from The Nacogdoches Treatment Center’s Piecemaker Quilters, quilters — “The Christmas Tree”
Machine Quilted, Applique: Ann Moore — “The Pollinators”
Machine Quilted, Pictorial: Linda Gerbode — “Bluebonnets”
Machine Quilted, Pieced Large: Karen Lee, quiltmaker, and Cathy Tullos, quilter — “Love, Hope & Joy”
Machine Quilted, Pieced Small: Debbie Bidwell, quiltmaker, and Lynda Muzyka, quilter — “Mini Medallion”
Machine Quilted, Mixed Technique: Kathryn Walker — “New Life”
Machine Quilted, Modern: Marisa Wilhelmi — “Discotheque”
Judge’s Choice
Barbara Schellberg, quiltmaker, and Kathy Babcock, quilter — “A Flower Garden for Bella”
Linda Gerbode, quiltmaker — “Bluebonnets”
NACQJ Award of Merit
Cindy Eyre, quiltmaker, and Kahlee Smith, quilter — “The Wedding Quilt”
Committee’s Choice
Kaia Kessler — “UNWOUND”
Blue Ribbon — Adult Division
Ann Moore — “The Pollinators”
Katherine Dossman — “Tx Flowers”
Linda Weeks — “Baltimore Halloween”
Ziana Boudria and 12 volunteers from The Nacogdoches Treatment Center’s Piecemaker Quilters — “The Christmas Tree”
Kathryn Walker — “New Life”
Marisa Wilhelmi — “Discotheque”
Linda Gerbode — “Bluebonnets”
Karen Lee, quiltmaker, and Cathy Tullos, quilter — “Love, Hope & Joy”
Debbie Bidwell, quiltmaker, and Lynda Muzyka, quilter — “Mini Medallion”
Jaime Diehl — “A Hexagon Garden”
Debra Kollman, quiltmaker, and Sharon Heimann, quilter — “Scrappy Pineapple”
Alice Perez, quiltmaker, and Karen Lambdin, quilter — “Timeless Rose”
Lynda Muzyka — “Hootie in the Woods”
Sara Hahn — “Stars Over the Heartland”
Joyce Crow, quiltmaker, and Libby Fesler, quilter — “My One and Only, Oh My Gosh!!”
Kathy Bieltz — “Let the Circle Be Unbroken”
Julie Rice-Smiley — “Missing Mitch”
Jackie Hillman, quiltmaker, Todd Barnes, designer — “The Six Flags of Texas”
Becky Navarro — “Rodeo Rabbit”
Noreen Borys — “Gameboard”
Teresa Pusztai — “Midnight Bloom”
Jennifer Watson — “Shades of His Glory”
Red Ribbon — Adult Division
Barbara Schellberg, quiltmaker, and Kathy Babcock, quilter — “A Flower Garden for Bella”
Brenda Dobson, quiltmaker, and Sandra Canterberry, quilter — “Memories of Ada”
Shannon Pickering, quiltmaker, and Jan Ashe, quilter — “July Sunshine”
Sharon Heimann — “Texas Log Cabin”
Denise Goodman, quiltmaker, and Katie DiCaro, quilter — “Texas Rodeo”
Pat Kainer, quiltmaker, and Susan Cloessner, quilter — “Honor and Glory”
Vicki Wooddell — “Les Boussole (The Compasses)”
Joyce Jackson, quiltmaker, Barbara Wall, quilter, and Lori Smith, designer — “Floral Designs”
Rochelle Metts — “In Mamaw’s Memory”
Gail Snyder, quiltmaker, and Betty Hankinson, quilter — “Ruby Pineapple”
Jennifer Tajchman and Kathie Meyer, quiltmakers, and Kahlee Smith, quilter — “WEYER TO MEYER”
Cindy Eyre, quiltmaker, and Kahlee Smith, quilter — “The Wedding Quilt”
Andrea Ohrt — “Snowflake Confetti”
Jesse Jicha, quilter, and Judy Bedwell, quiltmaker — “Heart Quilt”
Merriam Kubena — “Colorado Log Cabin”
Meredith Epley McWilliams — “Marfa #1”
Kaia Kessler — “UNWOUND”
Sandra Kindt, quiltmaker, Helen Rode, quilter, Sarah Ruiz, pattern designer, and Karen Nyberg, fabric designer — “Artemis Earth Views”
Marcy Barnes, quiltmaker, Double E Quilting, quilter — “This is My America”
Margaret Henson-Myers — “Cousins at Galveston 2025”
Rachel Mancill, quiltmaker, and Michael Mancill, quilter — “Rings and Pearls”
Patricia Gregurek — “Summer Sunshine”
Susan Carlton, quiltmaker, and Cheryl Tessitore, quilter — “Fancy Feline”
Jennifer Anderson, quiltmaker, and Loretta’s Stitch N Stuff, quilter — “Branded in Turquoise”
Carla Byrom, quiltmaker, and Emily Smith, quilter — “Gulf Coast Jungle Magnolia”
Nasreen Saeedi, quiltmaker, Ellen Happe, quilter, and Silvia Pippen, pattern maker — “Harmony in the Garden”
White Ribbon — Adult Division
Gwen Maupin — “Winds of Time”
Gigi Lozano, quiltmaker, and Xing Tinsley, quilter — “Texas Bluebonnets”
Susan Zarzana — “Vintage Friendship Stars”
Cathy Tullos — “Sew Carpenter”
Sally Wasserman, quiltmaker, and Thomazine Alexander, quilter — “Heart Throb”
Peggy McKay, quiltmaker, and Marilyn Leebove, quilter — “Union of Scraps”
Julie Mercer — “Written in the Stars”
Sakeenah Mubashshir — “Mule Trio”
Beth Reeves, quiltmaker, and Kahlee Smith, quilter — “Carolina Bloomin”
Cynthia Allen — “Scrappy Butterflies”
Peggy Harer, quiltmaker, and Tim Nash of Katy Quilting, quilter — “Halo Medallion”
Darlena Burnett — “Raise the Roof”
Jo Ann Bond — “Harmony”
Peggy Ring — “Happy Semiquincentennial Birthday America”
Nicole Lester — “A Quiet Becoming”
Liz Williams, quiltmaker, and Jammie Ackley, quilter — “Texas Log Cabin”
Jean Wehmeyer, quiltmaker, and Faye Morgan, quilter — “Flower Power”
Nadine Vav Beveren — “Exploding Heart of Texas”
Natalie Carroll, quiltmaker, Aven Rhoades and Courtney Stones, casing and label makers — “Diamonds”
Virginia Horton — “Butterflies in Motion”
Sarah Koehl and Mary Jane Muras, quiltmakers, Jolette Janda and Tara Wilson, quilters, Sandra Schwenke, binder, and Linda Franks, cutting — “John’s Quilt”
Margaret Smith — “Rangely Star”
Dorothy Morton — “Fan Blades”
Kaye Shelton — “Blue Kaleidoscope”
Patricia Young — “Fireworks”
Sally Robinson, quiltmaker, and Helen Rode, quilter — “Rainbow Hexies”
Minnie Pesl — “Garden Flowers”
Sarah Bauman, quiltmaker, Janice Parker, quilter, and Becky Goldsmith, pattern maker — “Everyday Best”
Cynthia White — “Confident Girls”
Sarah Morris, quiltmaker, and Kaia Kessler, quilter — “In Spite of Ourselves”
Eva Chaney, quiltmaker, and Jin Yu Elam, binder — “Under His Eye”
Audrey Lynn, quiltmaker, and Lisa Patterson, quilter — “Rainbow Running Horses”
Sarah Ruiz — “Quarter Moon”
Kelly Herms, Sue Carter, Cindy Hair, AJ Bennett and Sherry Duringer, quiltmakers from Texas Tea Stitchers Guild, and Osie Lebowitz, quilter — “Home on the Range”
Leah Lutonsky, quiltmaker, and Cathy Tullos, quilter — “Purple Lucio Kraken”
Madeline McMurry, quiltmaker, and Cathy Tullos, quilter — “Easter Morning”
Karla Dee — “Mumbo Jumbo”
Green Ribbon — Adult Division
Neely McCoy — “Freedom in Fabric”
Karen Nowell — “Star Gazing From The Garden”
Michael Mancill — “MICRO Free Motion Sampler”
Claudia Walton, quiltmaker, Yvette Murray, quilter, and Eleanor Wilson, special effect — “Kwik Sparklers”
Cheryl Yates, quiltmaker, and Irina Chukomina, quilter — “Lollypop Trees”
Rhonda Onwere, quiltmaker, and Eleanor Wilson, quilter — “Exploding Heart 6”
Allison Bonner — “Rainbow Dresden”
Dorothy Falke, quiltmaker, and Linda Burnham, quilter — “Star Bright”
Eleanor Wilson — “Rodeo Love”
Kimberly Wolboldt — “The Stallions”
Elizabeth Miceli — “Wild Blue”
Katherine Lewis — “One in One Thousand”
Deepali Gupta — “A Horse of Many Hues”
Mary Wolz — “Garden Blessings”
Marcia Neely — “Rodeo Legend”
Nancy Pearson — “Free Form Cubed”
JoAnn Monette — “My First Rodeo”
Frankie Pond — “Wings of Freedom”
YOUTH DIVISION
Best of Show
Iman El Attar — “Sunset on H-Town”
Best of Division
Machine Quilted: Iman El Attar — “Sunset on H-Town”
Hand Quilted: Jenna Milam — “To My Dad”
Judge’s Choice
Iman El Attar — “Sunset on H-Town”
Maggie Netardus — “Solstice”
Committee’s Choice
Elizabeth Leopold — “Color Me Happy”
Blue Ribbon — Youth Division
Iman El Attar — “Sunset on H-Town”
Jenna Milam — “To My Dad”
Amelia Moore — “Picnic Party”
Addelyn Leopold — “Cowboy Mosaic”
Elizabeth Leopold — “Color Me Happy”
Addison Swonke — “1776”
Zoey Pate — “Diamonds”
Armory Perez — “Generations”
Red Ribbon — Youth Division
Maggie Netardus — “Solstice”
Bridget Gulding — “Twister Game Quilt”
Paxtyn Ezzell — “Best of Texas”
Parker Ivy Black — “Wildflower Whimsy”
Emersyn McAllister — “Field of Flowers”
Jessamine Kessler — “My Bunny’s Quilt”
White Ribbon — Youth Division
Allison Glass — “Quilted in the Heart of Texas”
Daucie Davis — “PawPaw’s Quilt”