TAWA 2026 Bill Neale Youth Art Competition Winners Named

It’s a wrap for the 2026 Bill Neale Automotive Fine Art Award for High School Students! As chair of the award that’s hosted by the Texas Auto Writers Association, I’m excited to share this year’s winners with you, and also thank all the students who submitted entries from across the U.S.  This year’s entries were outstanding and wow’d the judges! 

“Automotive art is about more than just machines. It tells stories of innovation, design, and human passion,” said Marc Newman, President of the Texas Auto Writers Association. “These awards celebrate young artists who transform movement into feeling and engineering into lasting works of art.”

The award honors the legacy of world-renowned Dallas-based automotive artist Bill Neale who passed away in 2021 by recognizing and encouraging excellence in automotive fine art among high school students.  It’s also increasingly important to keep this art form alive in a world where AI is quickly changing the creative landscape.

The project assignment varies each year. The 3rd annual competition asked entrants to create a Bill Neale-inspired road rally, automotive or racing event poster. Without further ado, here are the 2026 winners:

Winners
1st: Felix Bucaro – 12th grade, Wisconsin, “Road America 500” – $1000 cash prize
2nd: Joel Murphy – 12th grade, Michigan, “Monaco” – $500 cash prize
3rd: Emily Eilers – 12th grade, Oklahoma, “Race Against Time” – $250 cash prize

1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners also receive $100 in BLICK Art Materials Gift Cards.

Left to Right: Joel Murphy, Felix Bucaro, Emily Eilers.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to honor the legacy of Bill Neale. For the piece, I used acrylic on canvas with contrasting color to give a feel for how the Road America 500 was in its day,” said Felix Bucaro, 1st Place Winner.

“Drawing and painting by hand are fine motor skills that are known to enhance brain development and critical thinking. We established The Bill Neale Automotive Fine Art Award for High School Students to encourage young artists to continue developing these talents in an increasingly led AI world and hone their artistic skills by exploring the genre of automotive art,” said Leslie Neale, daughter of Bill Neale. “Our father, Bill Neale, would be so proud of the creativity and artistry from this year’s winners! As our dad always said, ‘Keep painting!'”

Honorable Mentions (tie)
William McElhoes, 11th Grade, Idaho – “North Idaho Winter Rally“
Madison Randick, 12th Grade, Michigan “Momentous Macchina Match“

Left to Right: Madison Randick, William McElhoes.

I also want to thank our award sponsors for their generous support which makes this award possible. Thank you BLICK Art Materials, Carroll Shelby Foundation, Terlingua Racing Team and the Texas Auto Writers Association.

The award also supports art education. For 2026, the award’s donation to the Texas Cultural Trust’s Art Box project supported efforts to provide more than 200 Art Kits to students in Hunt ISD who were directly impacted by the devastating flooding in the Texas Hill Country in July of 2025.

To view these students’ exceptional artwork, visit BillNealeAward.org.

Photos: Texas Auto Writers Association.