PHOTOGRAPHY BY: CRE8IVE MARKETING AGENCY, WWW.CRE8IVE.COM
MIDLAND, TEXAS—Amidst well-wishing, applause, and overflowing good will, oilman Travis Stice accepted the Permian Basin Petroleum Association’s Top Hand Award for 2025 here at a gala ceremony at the Petroleum Club on the evening of Jan. 29.
The award, which is the highest honor conferred by the PBPA each year, is given to acknowledge “the tremendous contributions individuals have given to the oil and gas industry and the communities of the Permian Basin.”
Further, the award is given to an individual who exemplifies the best in all the characteristics displayed by leaders in the Permian Basin. A Top Hand has not only achieved success in his chosen field, but exhibits the finest qualities of leadership, stewardship, and community involvement.
The person who founded what is now Diamondback Energy and took it from a tiny, private-equity-backed firm producing 3,700 barrels of oil equivalent per day (BOE/d) in 2012 to a publicly traded firm producing more than 900,000 BOE/d in 2025, richly deserves this honor.
Over the last 15 years Stice has been CEO (2012-2025), Director (2012-2022) and Chairman of the Board (2022-2025) of Diamondback. As of May 2025, he became the company’s Executive Chairman.
He has also been CEO of Viper Energy Partners, Inc., the publicly traded mineral subsidiary of Diamondback (2014-2025) where he remains a director. He was CEO and Director of the General Partners of Rattler Midstream LP, a midstream company acquired by Diamondback in August of 2022.
Equally important, if not more so, Stice has been a great supporter of his community and of important causes. His involvement in public works and charitable efforts has made him special to his peers, his West Texas neighbors, his employees, family, friends, and more.
We share on these pages some special moments from the event.
Learn more about the Top Hand Award, an annual event, by visiting the PBPA’s website. Go to https://www.pbpa.info/about/top-hand-award